<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Black Swan Wonderland by Noizchild</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744627">Black Swan Wonderland</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild'>Noizchild</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wasteland 2011 [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Durarara!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angels, Apocalypse game, Blood, Death, Demons, Forced Prostitution, Human Experimentation, Memories, Multi, Murder, Nightmares, Serial Killers, Seven Deadly Sins, tadpole</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:02:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>94,786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vol. 9. Core story. All seven gates have been open and the game is now pushed into the fast lane. Tandeki moves forward with their plans. The seven deadly sins come into Ikebukuro and turn the city into a breeding ground for the Woman in Red's arrival. Meanwhile, Project Heaven gets to work on their branch of the game. More memories keep flooding back. Here comes Act II.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>OC/OC, Ryuugamine Mikado/Original Character(s), Ryuugamine Mikado/Sonohara Anri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wasteland 2011 [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/57711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Rapture</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Black Swan Wonderland</p>
<p>Halo Zero: Rapture:</p>
<p>Kitano sat at his desk and hit record on his tape player.</p>
<p>"Sunday, August 2nd, 2015. We are going to try something a little bit different with this latest experiment today. Asato-sensei and I have sent out a few of our interns to inject a handful of the test subjects with the new drug, Ugajin. Interns Yayoi, Yuka, and Rumi came up with the idea. So I figured I would try and see which method works best. Should we keep using the Heartseed? Should we do this personally? Or should we do a combination or both? We are going to find out."</p>
<p>10:00 a.m.</p>
<p>Yuka, Yayoi, and Rumi all sat in a booth at McDonalds. Yayoi finished up her coffee.</p>
<p>"So how do we start?" Rumi asked.</p>
<p>"Go in, inject Chirin with the drug, and stay around the apartment to monitor him," Yayoi said without missing a beat. Yuka frowned at such a simple answer.</p>
<p>"But how do we get in?" she asked. "He already remembers your and my faces. There's no way Chirin will open the door for us." She pointed to Yayoi and herself as she said, "he already remembers your and my faces". The busty intern snickered and grinned.</p>
<p>"But do have a way in," she pointed out. Yayoi pointed over at Rumi sitting across from them. The newbie looked at her with big eyes.</p>
<p>"Me?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes!" Yayoi said. "He's never really met you. You weren't even with us in our orderly days. You'll be the perfect way in."</p>
<p>"But how do I even get him to open the door?" Rumi asked.</p>
<p>"You're a smart girl," Yayoi said. "You can think of some way to get in. In fact…" She reached forward and grabbed Rumi's hood.</p>
<p>"Hey!" she shouted. Her fellow intern pulled the grey hood up.</p>
<p>"Now lower your head slightly," Yayoi said.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Yuka asked. The busty intern put up her hand. Rumi lowered her chin slightly, the hood obscuring her face.</p>
<p>"Like this?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Perfect!" Yayoi said. She clapped her hands together.</p>
<p>"Remember what sensei said," Yuka said. "We have thirty seconds to subdue him and get on with it."</p>
<p>"Yes, yes," the busty intern said. "Can we go now?" The medical student sighed.</p>
<p>"Yes, we can go," she said.</p>
<p>"Sweet!" Yayoi said. The ladies cleaned up their trash and made their way to their target's apartment.</p><hr/>
<p>Mikado doesn't sleep anymore. That has left him to be alone in his thoughts against his will. Ever since last night "earthquake", he started to get more unsettling visions. Something was coming. Something beyond anyone's nightmare. Mikado stared off into space at his sleeping monitor. Who was even going to believe him? There he had Masaomi and Anri, but he wasn't too sure if they were enough anymore.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a knock on the door brought him back to earth. Mikado's heart jumped in his chest. At first, he wanted to run over and throw open the door in relief. But then a sinking feeling washed over him. Maybe he should sneak out the window and run.</p>
<p>"Uh… Who is it?" the tadpole boy asked. No answer came from outside. Mikado approached the door with caution. He opened it a crack. A young woman stood outside with her hood on her head, looking downwards. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Can I help you?" Mikado asked. The woman seemed to be mumbling something under her breath.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry?" the tadpole asked. He managed to catch something about a boyfriend beating her and she needed to use the phone. He took a step back.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Mikado said. The woman started whimpering at him.</p>
<p>"Please leave me alone," the tadpole boy pleaded. He tried to slam the door in her face. But the woman grabbed him by the wrist quicker than he could move. His whole body went stiff. Mikado didn't get a chance to scream for help. His body sank down to the floor. Yuka and Yayoi followed the woman into the apartment. Fear filled Mikado's eyes as he realized what was happening. The hooded woman laid him down in the middle of his apartment. Yuka pulled out her kit.</p>
<p>"Take off his pants," she said. Mikado's eyes widened at the command.</p>
<p>"Delighted!" Yayoi said. She unzipped his jeans and slid them down to his ankles. The intern stripped them off as if she were about to have sex with the boy. Rumi turned her head, blushing. Yayoi's hands went for his boxers.</p>
<p>"That's good enough," Yuka spoke up. Yayoi turned and pouted.</p>
<p>"You never let me have any fun!" she complained. The medical student frowned and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"We don't have time to screw around," she said. "Just get the door."</p>
<p>"Fine!" her coworker shouted. She got up and walked over to the front door. Yuka opened her kit and pull out a syringe filled with this bright neon green fluid. Mikado took one look at that and began to panic. Rumi crawled over and pinned the boy down by his arms. Yuka walked up to the boy and sat down on her knees. Her fingertips ran along Mikado's right inner thigh. The tadpole started to have Vietnam-like flashbacks to his time back in Chou Mori.</p>
<p>"Ah!" Yuka said with a smile as her fingers found the right vain that she needed. She took the cap off of the needle and injected Mikado with the liquid. Almost immediately, his body went stiff. It felt as if something heavy was sitting on his chest. Mikado started to breathe heavily as if his throat was closing up. His heart started pounding against his chest. He could hear his blood running through his body.</p>
<p>Yayoi stuck up a sign on the front door and locked it.</p>
<p>"We're all set," she whispered. Yuka nodded once.</p>
<p>"Good," she said. "Now close the blinds and we can truly begin." Mikado could hear his captors walking around the small apartment, closing the blinds. His stomach turned as his eardrums started to ring. Yuka stood over him as she pulled out her phone. She pulled up a recording app and hit record.</p>
<p>"August 2nd, 2015," the intern said. "Test Subject: Chirin. Project Tadpole will begin with experiment… Sixty-five? Yeah, let's go with that. Time is now 10:48. We can now begin." Yuka hit stop and looked down at their prisoner. Mikado could only lie there breathing heavily as the latest drug ran through his veins.</p><hr/>
<p>Emily waited around in the train station. She was supposed to meet up with a kid she was tutoring in another city. Her mother didn't understand why she had to go far for this job.</p>
<p>"Can't you do this online?" she asked last night.</p>
<p>"His mother doesn't trust technology too well," Emily said. "I will be fine. I'll call you as soon as I get there."</p>
<p>She hadn't expected much to happen on this particular Sunday.</p><hr/>
<p>-Three Days Earlier-</p>
<p>Kitano came out to Roc while he was filing out paperwork.</p>
<p>"Segawa," the therapist said. Roc looked up.</p>
<p>"Sensei?" he asked. "Did you need something?"</p>
<p>"In my office, now," the older man said. The intern gave him a strange look.</p>
<p>"Am I in trouble?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Why would you think that?" Kitano asked. Roc shook his head.</p>
<p>"Never mind, I'll come with you," he said. The intern followed his boss.</p>
<p>Once they got into the office, Kitano sat down at his desk. He pulled out the tadpole folder and opened it up.</p>
<p>"Pick which one you like the most," he said. Roc looked down at pictures on the desk. It didn't take long for him to think.</p>
<p>"This one," he said. Kitano looked down to see Roc pointing at the picture of Emily.</p>
<p>"Good choice," he said.</p>
<p>"Sensei," the intern said. "May I ask what the point of this was?" Kitano had his usual resting stoic face.</p>
<p>"I will talk to all of you in two days," he said.</p>
<p>"Heh," Roc said.</p>
<p>-Today-</p>
<p>Roc stood near the ticket booth. His eyes were on Emily's back. He had her schedule memorized. (Thank goodness for Tandeki's connections with the city for these tadpole freaks.) The intern would have to act on his plans with great care. His eyes shifted back and forth.</p>
<p>Thirty seconds.</p>
<p>Roc looked at his cell phone. 10:15. He took a breath and walked up to his target.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for Emily to notice out of her peripheral vision. Roc stood next to her, looking ahead. Memories began to fill her head. But running would not be smart. Plus, there were also CTV and crowds of people around. Now like he would try anything out in public, right?</p>
<p>"Oh Shoujo E," Roc whispered in a sing-songy voice. "I found you." Emily's eyes widened as he skin started to crawl. She shifted her gaze over to her right. Taiyou stood beside her with his sword out, ready to attack.</p>
<p>Emily just had to give him the word.</p>
<p>Roc smirked to himself. He reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could say a word. He pulled her close to his chest, finding her under a big coat before dragging her away. The intern used his arm to muzzle her voice. Emily found herself unable to move as she was dragged out of the camera's blind spot.</p>
<p>
  <em>Help… me… Taiyou… Mama… Anybody…</em>
</p>
<p>Roc took his target into the bathroom and shoved her down onto the floor. Emily stared up at him with tears in her eyes. Her captor stood over her with the syringe filled with the bright neon green fluid. He snickered as he got down on his knees.</p>
<p>"You brought this on yourself, Little Girl," Roc said. He uncapped the syringe and flipped up her skirt. The intern felt along her thigh and gave her the injection. Emily's body went stiff as the drug took hold. Tears streamed down her face as she watched him do his recording log.</p><hr/>
<p>-Three Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>Kitano had all of his and Etsuko's interns gathered around his desk. Etsuko herself stood beside him.</p>
<p>"For this experiment," Kitano said. "We are going to try something a little bit different. Asato-sensei will man the Heartseed. You all will go to your respective targets and administer the drug in person."</p>
<p>"But how will we be able to get close enough to them, sensei?" Yuzuru asked. "They are getting their memories back by this point. They will not even trust us to open the doors for us."</p>
<p>"We have given that much thought," Kitano said. "And we have a way to work around that." Etsuko pulled out eight small plastic boxes and handed them to Kitano.</p>
<p>"Hold out your hands," he said. The interns all complied.</p>
<p>"We have been working on a way to neutralize our pets," the therapist said. "We used Celty's DNA as the base. It's still not stable as we are still trying to get the formula exactly right for future use. Right now, you only have thirty seconds to use these. One touch will only be needed. Do not waste any time. Understood?"</p>
<p>"Yes, sensei," the interns said.</p>
<p>"You will all start around ten," Kitano said. "Get going."</p>
<p>"Yes, sensei," they said. The interns bowed and handed out the door.</p>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>The latest experiment had begun. The tadpoles all lay on the ground looking like they were having seizures.</p>
<p>"Anzu-san? Anzu-san?" Maiko asked as she shook her friend. The girls in the dojo frantically all called for an ambulance.</p>
<p>"119, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.</p>
<p>"There's something wrong with my girlfriend!" Kenji said on the phone. "I don't know what happened. She was fine one moment now she's shaking uncontrollably. Please send help!" Naomi lay on their bedroom, shaking but she could still hear everything going on around her.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Kitano sat in his office with his tape recorder in his hand. Now all they had to do was wait.</p><hr/>
<p>-Noon-</p>
<p>"You left me in jail," Izaya complained. Kitano sat at his desk doing paperwork. He wasn't even looking up at the information broker. Izaya walked over to the window.</p>
<p>"They didn't even tell me what they were charging me with," he said. "One of them kicked me in the stomach, you know?" Kitano didn't look up. Izaya frowned.</p>
<p>"I didn't do anything," he said. "Well, nothing illegal. There was no reason for them to kick me and throw me into a cell like that! They wouldn't give me anything to eat or drink either. They kept asking me questions that didn't make any sense. When I tried to ask what was going on, one of those cops smacked me in the face. They kept yelling at me and shoving things in my face." By now, the therapist rolled his eyes. He just stopped pretending to work.</p>
<p>"Oh hush," he said at last. "You were only in jail for six hours." The information broker whipped his head around. Kitano had that old stoic look on his face.</p>
<p>"I have been in an interrogation room for fifteen hours. You do not get to complain," he said. "Were you even charged with anything?"</p>
<p>"No, they dropped the charges," the information broker said.</p>
<p>"So, what's the big problem?" the therapist asked. Izaya looked as if his feeling had been hurt.</p>
<p>"But…" he said. Kitano raised his eyebrow.</p>
<p>"And no I had nothing to do with you getting arrested," he said. "It was convenient. We just needed you out of the way for the final gate to be open." The information broker looked ready to scream with rage.</p>
<p>"We are also not behind you being stalked either," the therapist said. "Sorry to disappoint you. I know how much you want to pin this all on me. But you were not a priority to me. And you still aren't?" Izaya's frowned and furrowed his brows. He tried to think of something to say but nothing was coming out.</p>
<p>"Why did you even have my phone?" he asked at last. The older man shrugged.</p>
<p>"It was just there and I figured, why not use it for the night?" he said. "Not like you were going to miss it anyway. You've got lie two more phone on you, don't you?" The more he spoke, the more Izaya felt his ears burn.</p>
<p>"That's not point," he hissed. He pouted at the therapist like a hurt little puppy. Kitano leaned back in his chair.</p>
<p>"Did you just come here to complain?" he asked. Izaya tried to hide the sheepish look on his face.</p>
<p>"Then get out of my office," the therapist said. "Go on, shoo." The information broker stared at him.</p>
<p>"Go on," Kitano said again. "Get going." Izaya frowned and turned around. The therapist watched as he walked towards the door.</p>
<p>"Oh and Izaya," he spoke up. The information broker's hand touched the metal of the door as he glanced over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"You should thank her," he said. "She was the one who bailed you out. Why she has any semblance of affection towards you is beyond me." Izaya forced himself to smile.</p>
<p>"I will remember to do that," he said. He walked out the door. After that little exchange, Izaya started to like Kitano-sensei even less.</p><hr/>
<p>"I don't know this happened!" Miiko wailed back in Purgatory. She dropped her head on her desk and wept. "We're all screwed because of me!" Vanessa gently patted her on the head.</p>
<p>"Shhh," the manager whispered. "We haven't lost just yet. We just have a long war to fight before time runs out." The receptionist lifted her head. Tears ran from her deep brown eyes.</p>
<p>"But I was so close!" she wailed. Miiko positioned her thumb and index finger like a gun. She aimed at an invisible target.</p>
<p>"They were right there," the receptionist said. "I don't know what I was thinking at the time. Maybe I was trying to get the knife out of Hecate's hand. I really don't know what happened." More tears welled up in her eyes as she sniffled.</p>
<p>"It's all my fault!" Miiko wailed. "I doomed them all. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She broke down crying again. Vanessa pulled her into her arms.</p>
<p>"We haven't fully lost yet," she whispered. "We have to keep fighting. It will be much harder but we can't quit." Miiko was too busy crying to hear most of what the manager said. Still, Vanessa had her own questions. What exactly made Miiko draw a gun in the first place? Any about of blood would cause the gate to react. The receptionist must have known this. But still out came the gun. As Vanessa put the pieces of Miiko's account together, a grim realization washed over her.</p>
<p>"Miiko-san," the manger said. The receptionist looked up with leftover tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>"Yes?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I am going to need you to listen to me and try to remember when I ask you this," Vanessa said, holding her by the cheeks. "When you pulled out your gun, did you hear any voices in your head? Try to remember. Think hard and try to remember." Miiko took a moment to think. She pressed her lips together.</p>
<p>"I… I don't know," she admitted. "I don't really know." Vanessa furrowed her brow.</p>
<p>"You knew that that gate would react to the blood of a nightcomer, don't know?" she asked. Miiko's round face grew pale.</p>
<p>"Are you saying that-?" she asked. Vanessa held up her hand.</p>
<p>"I'm not saying that at all," she said. Miiko blinked away her tears. The manager brushed away the remaining from her plump cheeks.</p>
<p>"I think you were influenced to pull out your gun," she said. The receptionist had a confused look on her face.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked. Vanessa had a stern look on her face.</p>
<p>"Come with me," she said. The manager turned and walked down the hall. Miiko tilted her head.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" she asked. The receptionist followed behind her manager. Meanwhile Vanessa quickened her pace. If she was right about this, this war just got so much harder.</p><hr/>
<p>-3:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Kitano was doing more paperwork when he heard a knock on his door.</p>
<p>"Enter," he said. He looked up as the door opened.</p>
<p>"Ah, Etsuko," the therapist said. "Are you here to deliver the status updates about our pets?" She closed the door behind her.</p>
<p>"They have made the first check-in," Etsuko said. "Since then, everything is going stable so far."</p>
<p>"Good, good," Kitano said. He lowered his pen.</p>
<p>"This is the first time that we've made it this far in the game," the therapist said.</p>
<p>"Yes," Etsuko said.</p>
<p>"We don't know where this game could turn."</p>
<p>"This is true." Etsuko looked up at her partner. "Speaking of which, are we to send out the Blood Knights." Kitano pulled out his tablet and tapped the screen.</p>
<p>"Oh," he said. "Looks like one of them has hatched out of their cocoon early." Kitano turned his tablet for Etsuko to have a look.</p>
<p>"Oh," she said. "This should be rather interesting to observe."</p><hr/>
<p>-4:28 p.m.-</p>
<p>Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!</p>
<p>At first, everyone thought it was someone popping firecrackers in the street. It was only when they saw the broken glass mixed with the blood and heard someone screaming when people started to panic.</p>
<p>Two women were killed. Six more people were injured. Everyone was going fine in the little cafe until people heard the gun shots. Screaming and chaos filled the café. No one saw where the shots came from. The eyewitnesses weren't clear about how many shots were fired in the first place. CTV cameras were jammed at the time. The police couldn't get any footage from video. The two murdered victims were in their mid-thirties. They and three more of their friends were just having a nice girls' afternoon of shopping and nice lunch. They didn't expect it to end in a hail of bullets. Another friend, three more patrons, and waiter got caught in the blaze.</p>
<p>One of the victims was the wife of Awakusu Mikiya. She was taken to the hospital along with the other wounded. She's currently in surgery to remove the bullets and save her life. The internet was already whispering about how this was a hit against the Awakusu. They would be half-right. Awakusu-san was indeed targeted.</p>
<p>Just not in the way that they thought.</p>
<p>However, there is rumor of cell phone footage of the events unfolding. The police are asking the public to come forward with any information to help crack the case.</p><hr/>
<p>Another thought crossed Kitano's mind.</p>
<p>"I took the liberty of doing some armchair research while I was waiting for the final gate to open," he spoke up. "You will want to take a look at this." Etsuko walked around to his computer. She read the title of the archived webpage on the screen.</p>
<p>"We aren't the only ones who have played this game," Kitano said. He scrolled up to show her a picture of a wrapped up corpse nailed to a cross. Chains held the cloth down are the body. Blood seemed to be seeping out from where the torso should be. Something black stained where the nose and mouth came from.</p>
<p>"This is Michael," Kitano said. "He is an archangel."</p>
<p>"The Wrath of Heaven?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"This was one version of our game as we know it today," the therapist said. Etsuko turned to her partner.</p>
<p>"Why are you showing me this?" she asked. Kitano scrolled further down on the page.</p>
<p>"A little birdie told me that Mam is using the archangels to get the upper hand," he said. "They already found two of them."</p>
<p>"What do you suggest that we do?" the doctor asked. Kitano closed the page.</p>
<p>"Dig as much information as we can on them," he said. "And then we will work from there." The therapist had a gleam in his eye.</p>
<p>"Besides, they do not know where Gabriel is," he said.</p><hr/>
<p>-6:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Yuka glanced over at Mikado. Nine full hours. Mikado had been hanging on. Yayoi had her fun with sticking her hand down his boxers.</p>
<p>"Don't you do it, slut!" Yuka said. The other intern turned to her, pouting.</p>
<p>"Aw, you never let me have any fun!" she complained. The medical student gave her a judgmental look. The whole time, Rumi peeked out at the tadpole through the cracks of her fingers. Her cheeks turned bright red.</p>
<p>It was love at first sight.</p>
<p>Rumi had only seen him in the archive films that her boss, Kitano-sensei, had kept over the years. Her fellow intern, Yayoi, called her in for work at Rampo Biotech during the nightshift for some "paperwork". Instead, she and Yuka showed the new intern footage of Chirin being experimented on during his days as a mental patient.</p>
<p>By the end of the film, Rumi's heart pounded as she breathed heavily. She just had to meet him in person and asked when that was possible with stars in her eyes. Her much older interns had worked with the teenaged patient two years prior as orderlies. Yayoi still wanted to sleep with him and Yuka was finding herself beginning to want him too as well. This patient, affectionately called Chirin by all of the interns and Kitano-sensei, was about sixteen or seventeen when he was first committed to Chou Mori Institution.</p>
<p>Initially, Kitano-sensei didn't have much hope for him surviving the first trial of their experiment. In fact, he had planned to tell his parents that the boy had died in a tragic accident and that the body was never found. But when Chirin survived the first trial, things changed. Over time, Yuka and Yayoi grew fond of the patient while their boss became intrigued.</p>
<p>And now two years later after Chou Mori was gone and the Apocalypse Game was starting a new round again, Rumi hoped that even she would get to meet Chirin in personal for the new round of experiments in the resurrected Tadpole Project.</p>
<p>"He does have nice thighs," Rumi mumbled to herself. Her cheeks flushed bright red. Yuka herself gulped as she looked at Mikado's legs. Her mouth may have been protesting Yayoi playing with the boy's boxers but her own body felt hot for the patient. In a way, Yuka couldn't fault her fellow intern.</p>
<p>She blushed as she slapped herself in the cheeks.</p>
<p>
  <em>Damn it, you can't be dreaming like this! You are working right now!</em>
</p>
<p>Yayoi burst out laughing. Yuka shot a cold glare at her.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked. Her coworker smiled and shook her head. She smiled at her like a wild cat.</p>
<p>"Come on!" Yayoi said. "You feel it too, don't you?" Yuka's face turned even redder.</p>
<p>"Shut up!" she shouted. Her fellow intern only laughed louder. Rumi looked at her older coworkers.</p>
<p>"How long are we supposed to stay here?" she asked. Yuka and Yayoi looked up. The former counted up in her head.</p>
<p>"About midnight," she said. "Maybe longer." Rumi crawled over and laid her head on Mikado's chest.</p>
<p>"I can't tell if he's still breathing or not," she said.</p>
<p>"Move over," Yayoi said. She crawled over to Mikado, shoving the newbie out of the way. The older intern pulled out a small compact mirror and held it under the boy's nose. The glass began to fog up.</p>
<p>"He's still with us," she said.</p>
<p>"Check for a pulse," Yuka said. Yayoi picked up the patient's left wrist.</p>
<p>"He's still with us," she said again. The intern playfully slapped Mikado on the cheek.</p>
<p>"You are doing good, Chirin-kun," Yayoi purred in his ear. "Hang in there." She licked him on the cheek and ear.</p>
<p>"Yayoi!" Yuka shouted. The thirsty intern sat back giggling. Yuka groaned and rolled her eyes. Rumi sat between them looking back and forward.</p>
<p>The whole time, Mikado laid there unable to move. He could see everything. He could still feel every sensation all over his body. He could hear everything. Boy did these women talk so much too.</p>
<p>"What about his friends?"</p>
<p>"I've already got it." Yuka pulled out the boy's cell phone. "I sent texts to his friends saying that he was going to be getting caught up on some homework. I asked not to be disturbed for the whole day. I even turned it off for good measure."</p>
<p>"I put up a 'Don't disturb sign;' too just to keep people from trying to pry."</p>
<p>"Good thinking."</p>
<p>"But we still need to be on the lookout in case someone comes to the apartment anyway."</p>
<p>"We'll all take shifts. Two of us will keep watch over Chirin-kun while we watch over outside."</p>
<p>"What if we have to use the bathroom?"</p>
<p>"We'll gone one at a time. The other two will watch over him. I brought food for us so that we don't have to leave. Plus, he probably has something to eat as well."</p>
<p>"Good thinking."</p>
<p>"What do we do for sleeping?"</p>
<p>"A quick nap will do just fine."</p>
<p>Mikado couldn't scream at them to get out. He had to choke back bile in his throat every time Yayoi touched him. This was just like being at Chou Mori again. The new drug in his body made it that much worse. His throat and lungs felt like they were on fire. Sweat broke out all over his body. His only saving grace was Yuka barking at Yayoi to get off of him when she tried to molest him. But that didn't help that everyone looked so thirsty around him.</p>
<p>At one point in the late afternoon, Yayoi blinked outside through the blinds.</p>
<p>"Hang on, there's somebody outside," she said. The other two interns looked up.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" Yuka whispered.</p>
<p>"Just some lady looking up at the apartment," Yayoi said. The other two came around for a look. A woman in a cotton grey dress and curly black hair seemed to be looking up at the apartment.</p>
<p>"Do you think she can see us?" Rumi asked.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure," Yuka said.</p>
<p>"She keeps looking up at us," Yayoi said. She reached forward to tap the glass. The med student grabbed her wrist.</p>
<p>"Don't!" she said. Suddenly, the lady outside turned and walked away.</p>
<p>"Oh she's leaving," Yayoi said. Yuka breathed out.</p>
<p>"Thank goodness!" she said. She leaned back against the window, her head pushing against the blinds. In that moment, Mikado had wished that the woman could've at least walked up the stairs to his door.</p>
<p>Other than that little panic, nobody else interrupted them.</p>
<p>"How long has it been?" Rumi asked later in the evening. Yuka looked at her phone.</p>
<p>"It's 18:03 now," she said. Yayoi checked Mikado's pulse again.</p>
<p>"He's still with us," she said.</p>
<p>"Good," Yuka said. "Six more hours to go."</p>
<p>"Ah," Yayoi said. Mikado felt like dying when he heard that.</p><hr/>
<p>Meanwhile, Emily wasn't having it so good either. She didn't have three thirsty interns lusting after her body but her situation was no better. Roc had to deal with her himself.</p>
<p>He too came prepared. The intern already set up a bathroom being cleaned signed outside the door and locked it. He brought a backpack filled with food and drink to tide him over. Plus, he could easily the bathroom without having to go anywhere.</p>
<p>Roc sneered down at Emily.</p>
<p>"You think you're so much better than me, don't you?" he asked. She and him had history in Chou Mori. Disgust and attraction always ran wild in his head. He wanted to stomp her in the face. He wanted to strangle her. All so tenderly.</p>
<p>Tears welled up in Emily's eyes.</p>
<p>The intern clicked his tongue.</p>
<p>"Don't look at me like that, you little whore," he hissed. "You brought this on yourself. You are just a lowlife freak. Why should it be you that survives the end? Why? Why?" She couldn't answer him. The drug had her trapped in her own body. For hours, she had to endure verbal abuse from her captor. Roc insulted and berated her while circling her in the bathroom. Granted, he did still check to see if she was still alive. What's the point of hauling abuse if your target can't hear you?</p>
<p>Roc squatted down over her head. He gave her look of fake sympathy.</p>
<p>"Aw, what?" he asked. "Are you going to cry again?" The intern clicked his tongue.</p>
<p>"Pathetic," he muttered. The intern lightly kicked her in the head. He checked for a pulse once again. Roc turned up his nose.</p>
<p>"You freaks are pretty tough to kill, aren't you?" he asked. It didn't help that Taiyou was across the room. Her spirit familiar vanished the moment Roc grabbed Emily's wrist. He had just now reappeared near the locked door. She could cry out to him and her thoughts couldn't reach him. Taiyou just sat there, watching her suffer. But still, Emily wouldn't stop calling out to him in her mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Taiyou… Please… Save me… Go get help… Help me…</em>
</p>
<p>Suddenly, Roc climbed on top of her. Emily looked up at him with worry in her eyes. His hands came on either side of her head on the ground. His knees came on either side of her waist. She couldn't see if he was stiff in his pants or not. The intern looked like a hungry wild animal. Roc smirked at her.</p>
<p>"You know what annoys me the most about you?" he asked. "The fact that you are so adorable. Even back then you are that attractive." Years of sexual frustration came back in waves in his head.</p>
<p>Emily was always in a daze back then. Roc had to tend to her on his shift. Kitano was the one who pulled him into the Tadpole Project. And Emily ended up being one of the test subjects as well. Being near someone many hours of day can create a relationship—positive or negative. For Roc, this create problems. He wasn't like Yayoi who didn't care who knew that she would try to sleep with the patients. Roc never liked the tadpoles but Emily put him in a difficult position.</p>
<p>Roc clicked his tongue back in present.</p>
<p>"Do you know how many times I wanted to do this?" he asked. "Do you? Do you?" She couldn't answer him because of the drug. The intern snickered and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Many, many times," he said. "You make me want to do this. You can't blame anyone but yourself." Roc licked her on the face like a rabid animal. He didn't stop at one either. Two. Three. Four. Five. Eight times. Roc licked her eight times. He put his whole tongue into it too. Emily wanted to throw up in his face.</p>
<p>Roc sat up on his knees.</p>
<p>"That's it for now," he said. The intern stood up and walked back over to the bathroom door. The look of contempt filled his eyes now. Almost like he was disgusted with himself for what he did. Emily lay on the floor watching him as her skin crawled. Taiyou sat by Roc, disconnected from his mistress. The intern looked at his phone.</p>
<p>18:03?</p>
<p>Roc groaned and rolled his eyes. Three more hours of this shit? The interns rubbed his forehead and sighed.</p>
<p>Why did those girls have to come up with this dumb method for this experiment?</p><hr/>
<p>The hours ticked down in the experiment. Most of the tadpoles ended up in the hospital. Etsuko left for the hospital before dinner.</p>
<p>Once again, Kitano was alone. He had just hit stop on his recorder. The gates were opened and the Dis Program's progress was coming along nicely. The therapist sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. So it begins. The curtains for Act Two have been lifted.</p>
<p>Kitano pulled out his phone.</p>
<p>"Hello, it's me," he said. "I am calling into that favor I am going to need now."</p><hr/>
<p>Izaya finally made it home.</p>
<p>"I'm home," he mumbled to no one in particular. There was nobody in the apartment. He shouldn't be surprised. The information broker walked over to his couch and flopped down. Six whole hours in a small cell. This was spiraling out of his comfortable. But he won't let him back out. Oh no.</p>
<p>"It was to save them all from the apocalypse."</p>
<p>Izaya slammed his face into the pillow. That damned apocalypse! No thanks to him, the information broker's life is now hell.</p>
<p>Suddenly his phone rang. Izaya laughed to himself dryly. Who was it now? He dug around in his pocket.</p>
<p>"Hello?" he asked. Heavy breathing came over on the other line. Izaya narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"Who is this?" he asked. The breathing grew heavier. Izaya frowned as he looked at his phone. He had a guess of where this was heading.</p>
<p>"If you're not going to say anything, I'm going to hang up," he said. The breathing turned into crackling. Izaya looked at his phone.</p>
<p>"What the hell?" he asked himself. But then the voice gave him a message in a chilling way.</p>
<p>"Welcome home, information broker-san!" a voice said in a raspy childlike sing-songy voice. And then the line went dead.</p><hr/>
<p>-Midnight-</p>
<p>The latest experiment drew to a close. Kitano looked at the clock on his computer screen. The interns should be making their final logs and packing up by now. Kitano himself would check in on the Heartseed in the lab. All of the flowers were bright neon green. Even the ones that got the injections in person.</p>
<p>Another crossed his mind.</p>
<p>They have been down this path before. Only once. But that was a long time ago. The therapist tried to remember what came next. Oh yes, they should be coming soon. Piece by piece the ritual came together in his head.</p>
<p>Suddenly, his email notification pinged on his computer. Kitano turned his head.</p>
<p>"Hm?" he asked. The therapist clicked on the notification. One new message from beyond the grave.</p>
<p>"Yoemon-sensei," Kitano said to himself. "What have you been able to send me now?" He clicked on the new message.</p>
<p>Hello Kitano-sensei,</p>
<p>This is Kenji's widow. I was cleaning through his things in his apartment when I came across his files on his computer. (I'm planning to have it formatted and give it to our daughter for college.) They were all in a folder named after you. I put them in attachments. I didn't read any of them but they looked important. I think they were meant for you.</p>
<p>"Heh," Kitano said. He clicked on the first attachment that he saw. A Word document popped up on the screen. He read through what he already learned about the archangels and the "Wrath of Heaven". Kitano had the conclusion that his late colleague must have fallen down the same paths of research that he did. He came down to the locations of where Michael and Raphael were.</p>
<p>But then, something else caught Kitano's eye.</p>
<p>Earlier in the document, it said that Gabriel's location was unknown. But when he scrolled down to the last page at the bottom, Kitano found text in really small font highlighted in black. He dragged the cursor over the message and magnified the page. A huge smile spread across his face. Kitano sat back laughing aloud. He shook his head to himself.</p>
<p>"Oh, Yoemon-sensei," the therapist said to himself. "How did you manage to pull through once again?" Now, Tandeki could stay on top for now.</p><hr/>
<p>Around one in the morning, three drunk guys wandered around in the streets. There was no one else around. The hoodlums were shouting and laughing the whole time. One of them put his arm around his buddy. They looked for another bar that was still open. The last place kicked them out. Too loud and drunk. What a joke. Wasn't that the point of a bar?</p>
<p>One of the guys froze in their tracks. His friends stopped and turned to him.</p>
<p>"What's the matter, Hojo?" one of them asked. Hojo pointed forward with his jaw to the ground. His friends looked in the direction in question. A large deer stood off in the distance. He just as black as night. Strange white symbols covered the thin fur. They could only see glowing red eyes in the alley. It stared at the three men. Hojo couldn't speak.</p>
<p>"I think I'm really drunk," one of his friends said. The third friend waved his hand in front of the creature. Neither the men nor the deer moved.</p>
<p>"Where did this deer come from?" Hojo asked at last. His friends had no answer.</p>
<p>"What is a deer even doing in Ikebukuro?" the third guy slurred out. Again, the men had no answers. Suddenly, the deer turned and walked down a narrow alleyway. The three men stumbled over each other to try and get a look. By the time they got to the alley, the deer was already gone. What was that? Was it the alcohol?</p>
<p>Or something else…?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Dreamers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo One: Dreamers:</p>
<p>-Spring 1985-</p>
<p>The early morning sun seemed to glow on Hya-chan's skin. She looked so peaceful sleeping. Makoto reached out and touch her cheek. Theirs was a strange way they came together. Two different worlds. Two different beliefs. He didn't seem interested in her at first. But she won him over in the end.</p>
<p>He smiled to himself. What did he do to get such an angel of a wife?</p>
<p>Makoto froze when he noticed her stirring awake. "Hya-chan?"</p>
<p>His wife opened her big brown eyes. "Good morning, dear."</p>
<p>"How long have you been awake?" Makoto whispered. She shrugged and shook her head. Hya-chan broke into a little giggle. He smiled and playfully tapped her on the nose. Everything about her seemed so innocent. She did go up in sheltered life.</p>
<p>"What do you plan to do today?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know," she said. "You?" Makoto sighed.</p>
<p>"Looking for work," he said. His wife frowned.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked. She rested her head against his chest.</p>
<p>"I just wish you didn't have to go," Hya-chan whimpered. Makoto smiled and patted her on the head.</p>
<p>"We need money to keep this house and eat," he said. "I don't want us to end up on the streets."</p>
<p>"But I can't stand to be away from you so long," Hya-chan whimpered. She looked like a little kitten who's treat was taken away from her. Makoto chuckled.</p>
<p>"Well when I make enough money, we'll spend all of the time together," he said. Moments like this in the mornings reminded him that there were still good things in this world. Hya-chan relied on him to supply their basic needs. He wished that he had enough money to do all of that and buy her nice things too.</p>
<p>"I sometimes dream that I won the lottery," Makoto admitted. "I'm able to buy us a big house. Pretty clothes, jewelry, and presents for you."</p>
<p>"That sounds nice," Hya-chan said. She doesn't really need much to be happy. Though, she has talked about wanting a child. Makoto didn't know how to react to this.</p>
<p>"But we just got married," he said. "Let's just enjoy some time to each other for a bit." That didn't sink in for her. She's always wanted a happy family since she was a little girl.</p>
<p>"Kenshin," Hya-chan said this morning. Her husband gave her an odd look.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked. She looked up at him.</p>
<p>"For a boy's name," she said. Makoto shook his head.</p>
<p>"No," he said.</p>
<p>"No?" Hya-chan asked.</p>
<p>"It's sound too stiff, too proper," he said. She cocked her head.</p>
<p>"Then what name do you want for a boy?" Hya-chan asked. Makoto took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"I really like the name Daichi," he said. "Or Ryo."</p>
<p>"Are those nice names?"</p>
<p>"Yeah."</p>
<p>"And what about for girls?"</p>
<p>Makoto took a moment to the think about that. "Kyoko."</p>
<p>Hya-chan lifted her head. "Why that name?" Her husband shrugged and shook her head.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "It just sounds like a nice name. You?"</p>
<p>"Tomoko," she said without missing a beat. Makoto thought about that before nodding.</p>
<p>"I actually like that," he said. Hya-chan took parenthood seriously. Makoto was still warming up to the idea.</p>
<p>When did he become domesticated like this?</p>
<p>He used to sleep around with loose women. What else could he do? Makoto lived out in the countryside and was constantly broke. He only made enough to pay his bills. Plus, the village didn't have much to look at.</p>
<p>Well, there was on place.</p>
<p>Makoto chuckled to himself.</p>
<p>"What?" Hya-chan asked. He smiled and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Oh, noting," he said. "Just something from the country." She rested her head on his chest again.</p>
<p>"I love you," Hya-chan whispered. Makoto kissed her atop her head.</p>
<p>"I love you too," he whispered back.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Makoto-</p>
<p>My wife is a peculiar woman. She isn't aware about how the real world works. But yet, she has a good sense of people. Because of this, it took time for her to get attached to people. She took to me rather easily. Why? That I can't figure out. Hya-chan won't tell me either.</p>
<p>"It's a secret," she would say.</p>
<p>"I thought that we didn't keep secrets from each other," I would say. Hya-chan stuck out her tongue and laughed. I shook my head. My wife could act like a child sometimes. It was both cute and annoying.</p>
<p>She should have nothing but days where she can be happy. Can it be possible that a person could be so pure? In the beginning, I had to pinch my cheeks. Hya-chan gave me an odd look when she caught me doing it.</p>
<p>"Are you feeling okay?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah, yeah, yeah," I would be quick to say. This seemed to satisfy her. No more questions would follow.</p>
<p>Who was this girl? She couldn't be human. Was she an angel?</p>
<p>I shook my head.</p>
<p>Nah, that's just dumb. Angels don't exist. Why would I be thinking that?</p>
<p>I sat up in our futon. I tried to get out but she clung to me. I looked down to see Hya-chan staring up at me.</p>
<p>"Stay," she pleaded. I sighed and smiled.</p>
<p>"I have to get up and look for work," I said. Hya-chan cuddled up to my chest.</p>
<p>"Can you stay a little bit longer?" she asked. "Please?" I shook my head. She always did this to me. I patted her on the head.</p>
<p>"Fine," I said.</p>
<p>"Yay!" my wife said. She already cuddled up to me. I just couldn't say no to her. I can't picture my life without her. Hya-chan already dug that deep into me. The other girls didn't stand a chance.</p>
<p>Neither does my will power.</p>
<p>I don't know how she manages to do it. I find myself doing more and more for my wife without her even asking me to do it. I wish that I could do more. However, there is just one area she couldn't get me to change my mind in.</p>
<p>Every Sunday, she would go to church on her own. I would lay in bed as she got up and got dressed. She'd hum happily to herself. I just wanted to sleep in. My wife would walk over to out futon.</p>
<p>"Won't you go to church with me?" she asked. I would just turn over in the futon. I could feel the disappointed look on my back.</p>
<p>"Maybe next Sunday?" she'd asked. I didn't answer. My wife would give up and walked out the door.</p>
<p>"Hey!" I would shout. I would peek up from the sheets to her looking at me.</p>
<p>"Be careful out there," I told her. "Come home as soon as possible."</p>
<p>"Okay," Hya-chan said. Then she headed out the door. I never could go to her church. I didn't get this god she was talking about. Even when she read the bible to me, I wasn't interested. To be honest, none of it made any sense to me. I would just nod and go along with it. Anything to keep her happy.</p>
<p>Still, I made up for it by giving her anything else she wanted. This house, my car, anything nice, and even the life growing inside of her. I just wanted to see that pretty smile on her face.</p>
<p>Anything to make my wife happy. Anything.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Spring 1987-</p>
<p>The house felt so lifeless now. She made it feel so warm. So alive. Makoto sat in the middle of their empty living room and wept. He held her light pink kimono to his chest. The silk still smelt like her.</p>
<p>But he had no choice.</p>
<p>Her sanity was slipping away at fast rate. She started talking to their son like he was still alive. Her church was no help either. The priest said that he would pray for her. Pray for her? Prayer wasn't going to bring their baby boy back. Prayer wasn't going to cure his wife's depression. She needed real help.</p>
<p>Their neighbors looked at them with pity. Makoto wanted to yell at them to stop staring at him. He just wanted to be alone. He stopped working for weeks. All of the baby things were packed away in the closet. He didn't have the heart to throw them away. She wouldn't like it either.</p>
<p>He shook his head. There he went again. She wasn't in her right mind when he even brought up what to do with their son's things at the time. Hya-chan broke down crying and screaming when he mentioned throwing them out. Her husband just let her cry on the floor as his feet because didn't know what else to do.</p>
<p>Makoto wondered if he had made the right decision. But what else could he do? He couldn't afford to pay anyone to watch over his wife while he was at work. The elderly neighbors didn't seem that keen in his eyes. His pride gave him the illusion of begging to them. He was supposed to be provider for his family.</p>
<p>He laughed dryly to himself.</p>
<p>Some job he was doing as a provider, huh? He couldn't even keep his wife at home and mentally stable. Makoto shook his head.</p>
<p>"When did I get so pathetic?" he asked aloud.</p>
<p>Suddenly, there came a knock on his door. Makoto looked up. Oh. She's back again. He already knew what was coming next. Why couldn't she take the hint that he wanted to be left alone? Oh well, might as well get this over with. She wasn't going to leave otherwise. She'll be back tomorrow too.</p>
<p>He set the kimono down on the couch and walked over to the front door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Mikado</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Lust</p><p>Halo Two: Mikado:</p><p>-Monday-</p><p>Masaomi's phone buzzed. The boy mumbled to himself as he pawed around for his phone.</p><p>"Hello?" he mumbled half-asleep.</p><p>"Kida-kun?" a small voice whimpered on the other line. A puzzled look came over Masaomi's face.</p><p>"Mikado?" he asked. "Mikado, is that you?"</p><p>"Can you come over?" his friend asked.</p><p>"Uh… okay," Masaomi said. There came a pause.</p><p>"Can you come over now?" Mikado asked. His friend noticed the tone in his friend's voice. Masaomi sat up in his bed.</p><p>"What's the matter?" he asked. "Is something wrong? What happened?"</p><p>"Please," Mikado pleaded. "I need you." Masaomi's heart sank. Something told him something wasn't right with that text yesterday.</p><p>"Okay," he said. "I will be there in ten minutes. Hang in there."</p><p>"Thank you," his friend mumbled. He hung up his phone. Masaomi looked at his phone. All day yesterday, he felt that something wasn't right. But he couldn't leave Saki's side. Anri said that she would check in on their friend. She hadn't reported back since seven in the evening. No one else seemed to notice either.</p><p>Masaomi turned and looked next to him. Saki was still sound asleep. This was stretching him thin. He couldn't keep watch over both her and Mikado at once. Right now, his best friend needed him. Masaomi climbed out of bed and took a shower. When he got out, he typed up and text to his girlfriend and headed out the door. Masaomi resolved to call Saki later this evening.</p>
<hr/><p>Awakusu-san had guards posted around her hospital room. She barely made it out of surgery alive. Naturally, the doctors had to give it their all to save the woman's life. The worst of it was over but she was still laid up in a coma.</p><p>Mikiya made it down to the hospital by morning. He had Akane stay home with her grandfather for the time being. This was the second person tied to the Awakusu who had been attacked. First Akabayashi dies under mysterious circumstances and now Awakusu-san was attacked in public.</p><p>Two detectives met up with the yakuza boss in the hallway. Mikiya couldn't say that he was surprised to see them. One detective, male between Mikiya and his father's age, stepped forward.</p><p>"Good morning," he said. "I'm so sorry for your wife."</p><p>"Thank you," Mikiya said in a low voice.</p><p>"Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?" the detective asked. "It won't take too long."</p><p>"No, go ahead," the mob boss said. The detective took a breath. His partner took a notepad and started taking notes.</p><p>"Can you think of anyone who would hurt your wife?" the detective said. "Outside of yakuza-related stuff, I mean." Mikiya took a moment to think about it.</p><p>"Not that I would know of," he said. "My wife is a gentle woman. She doesn't have many enemies herself."</p><p>"Did she seem worried about anything before she left the house yesterday?"</p><p>"No. Everything was fine that day. She just went out to celebrate her friend's birthday."</p><p>"I see."</p><p>The partner took down more notes behind the detective. He looked up when he was finished.</p><p>"Thank you for your time," the detective said. "We will be in touch."</p><p>"Thank you, sir," Mikiya said. The men bowed and the detectives left. The mafia boss walked into his wife's hospital room.</p><p>Awakusu-san was hooked up to tubes and a heart monitor. The doctors weren't sure if she was going to wake up or not. Mikiya came around to her side of the bed. He kissed her on the hand. He whispered something in her ear before he turned to leave.</p><p>"I will avenge you, my love."</p>
<hr/><p>Masaomi made it to Mikado's apartment. Already, a feeling of ease overwhelmed him. Yesterday, he believed that everything was fine. He got the text saying that Mikado would be studying all day. At first, he thought nothing about it. But over lunch, Masaomi began to realize that something wasn't right. So he called up Anri to check on him.</p><p>"Hello?" she asked.</p><p>"Hey Anri," Masaomi said. "Could you stop by Mikado's place and check on him really quick?"</p><p>"Alright," Anri said. The boy breathed out and leaned back on the floor.</p><p>"Thanks," he said. Looked like he every right to be worried.</p><p>Masaomi knocked on the door.</p><p>"Come in," a weak voice said on the other. A confused look came over the blonde shogun's face.</p><p>"Why can't you open the door?" he asked.</p><p>"Please… just come in," Mikado pleaded. "It's unlocked." Masaomi opened the door with unease. His jaw dropped as he walked inside. Mikado sat on the floor, leaning up against the wall. He looked so dazed and worn out. His pants had been pulled up by this point. Masaomi ran over to him.</p><p>"Mikado!" he shouted. He ran over and grabbed Mikado by the shoulders. The tadpole boy lifted his head. He looked as if he was coming out of a drug-hazed stupor.</p><p>"What the hell happened? Are you okay?" his friend asked. Mikado gave off a small, dry laugh.</p><p>"They got me," he said in a raspy tone.</p><p>"What?!" Masaomi asked.</p><p>"I'm so sorry," Mikado said. "I should've known." His best friend shook his head.</p><p>"No," he said. The tadpole boy started to speak but Masaomi held up his hand.</p><p>"Don't talk," he said. "We need to get you to a doctor."</p><p>"Don't!" Mikado said. He drew his knees to his chest. "It won't do any good. They can't help me. And she's there too." Mikado could see the interns' faces again. Yayoi's fingernails scraping across his skin made him shiver. Her hand slipping down his boxers. Those women took something from him and destroyed it.</p><p>"Okay…" Masaomi said. "What do you want to do?" He sounded like a father dealing with an injured and upset child by this point. Mikado shook his head.</p><p>"Come on, man," his best friend said. "I want to help you. Tell me what to do." Mikado murmured something under his breath.</p><p>"Hm?" Masaomi asked.</p><p>"Please… stay with me?" the tadpole boy asked. He tried to reach for Masaomi's wrist. His friend didn't even flinch.</p><p>"Okay," the blonde shogun said. "I will stay with you as long as you need me to." Mikado lowered his head.</p><p>"Thank you," he whispered. Masaomi pulled him into his arms.</p><p>"I don't know what they did to you but we will get them for this," he whispered. Tears welled in Mikado's eyes.</p><p>"Can we do that?" he asked. His best friend tightened his grip.</p><p>"I am going to try," Masaomi promised. His usual words of comfort failed Mikado this time.</p>
<hr/><p>Kitano looked at the results on his desk. It was just as he expected. Etsuko looked down with him.</p><p>"It really doesn't make a difference, does it?" she asked. Kitano shook his head.</p><p>"So what do you want to do?" the doctor asked.</p><p>"Keep the Heartseed," Kitano said. "We will do in-person injections from time to time. We can't do it too often lest we attraction attention to when our pets are being held against their will."</p><p>"Agreed," Etsuko said.</p><p>"Oh, there's something else too," the therapist said. He opened his desk and reached inside. His partner looked down as he pulled out what looked like a spinning clock. An intrigued look came across her face.</p><p>"Oh, is it finally that time?" the doctor asked.</p><p>"Yes," Kitano said. "And I am so glad that you remember it." He got up and carried with clock with such care. Etsuko watched as he set it down on a small table.</p><p>"Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride," Kitano said. He step down a small round stone for each sin he listed. He took a step back.</p><p>"Which one will come to us first?" Etsuko asked.</p><p>"We will have to see," Kitano said. "In the meantime, I will call up Aya about our little butterfly." He pulled out his phone.</p><p>"Do you need me for anything?" Etsuko asked.</p><p>"No, that will be all," her partner said. He dialed up his fellow therapist's number.</p><p>"Alright," she said. "I have to get back to the hospital now."</p><p>"Be careful out there," he said.</p><p>"Will do," Etsuko said. She bowed and walked out the door. Kitano waved as the door closed behind her.</p><p>"Hello?" Aya asked on the other line.</p><p>"Ah, yes," Kitano said. "How is our little butterfly doing?"</p>
<hr/><p>Mikado wasn't allowed to leave his apartment for the day again.</p><p>"You were attacked yesterday," Masaomi said. The tadpole boy didn't argue. His friend wouldn't hear of it either. The boys looked up when they heard a knock on the door. Mikado sat on the floor, trembling.</p><p>"Who is it?" Masaomi asked.</p><p>"It's only me," Anri said. The boys looked at each other.</p><p>"I've got it," Masaomi said. He got up before Mikado could say a word. The blonde shogun walked over to the door and opened it a crack. Anri stood outside, looking in.</p><p>"Oh good," Masaomi said. "You're here."</p><p>"How is he?" Anri whispered. The boy looked behind him.</p><p>"Not good," he whispered.</p><p>"Oh," she said. The Saika Mother tried to look inside. Masaomi wouldn't let her see.</p><p>"Can I please come in?" Anri asked. The blonde shogun didn't look so comfortable.</p><p>"I will let you in," he whispered. "But you have to be careful with him. It's pretty bad." Anri didn't need to say a word. She bowed her head and went inside.</p><p>"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. She froze when she saw the tadpole boy. The Saika Mother covered her mouth as she gasped.</p><p>"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" she asked. Anri knelt down to reach out to Mikado.</p><p>"Don't!" he shouted. "Please… don't…" Anri drew back her hand. The tadpole boy looked about ready to cry. She had a sympathetic look in her eyes. The girl hated to see her boyfriend like this.</p><p>"They hurt me…" Mikado said. He trembled with his knees to his chest. Anri turned to Masaomi as if to ask for help. The blonde shogun stood by but said nothing.</p><p>"I can't take this anymore," Mikado whimpered. "I can't take it! I can't take it!" He grabbed the sides of his head and started crying. Anri pulled Mikado into her arms. Masaomi walked over and joined into the hug. The tadpole boy just wept in their arms.</p>
<hr/><p>Emily made it back home in the early hours of the morning. When she could move again, she looked up to see Taiyou over her. The spirit familiar was carrying her away.</p><p>"You came back," she murmured.</p><p>"I apologize, Emily-sama," Taiyou said. "That man used some spell on you that cut your connection to me." His mistress shook her head.</p><p>"No, it's okay," Emily murmured. "Just take me home."</p><p>"Yes, mistress," the spirit familiar said. She rested her head against his chest. There weren't many people in sight in the streets. Probably for the best. How was she going to explain to her mother what happened? The client in the other city thought that she bailed on him. Emily cringed when she thought about Roc's tongue against her cheeks and face. Taiyou held her closer to his chest. Emily looked ready to cry.</p><p>"Thank you," she whispered. Her familiar spirit didn't reply. Emily didn't care what she looked like as Taiyou carried her through the streets.</p><p>They made it back to her apartment. Emily looked up at Taiyou.</p><p>"Don't take me through the front door," she whispered. "I don't want to wake up Mama."</p><p>"Understood," Taiyou whispered. He and her vanished into thin air. They reappeared in her room.</p><p>"Do you want me to put you to bed?" he asked.</p><p>"Yes, please," Emily whispered.</p><p>"Understood," Taiyou said.</p><p>"Thank you," she whispered again. The spirit familiar laid her down on the bed. Emily pulled the sheets over her head. She wasn't going to be able to sleep but that didn't matter. In the morning, the tadpole girl was going to scrub Roc off of her skin. Right now, she didn't want to wake up her mother and have to answer any questions.</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, Mikado tried to act as normal as he could. Masaomi advised against going to school. The tadpole wouldn't hear of it.</p><p>"I will be fine," Mikado insisted. "I need this. Besides, summer break will be coming up soon. I can hang on for a couple more days." Despite not being too certain about this, Masaomi relented.</p><p>"But you head home as soon as things go sideways," he said.</p><p>"I will help him if that happens," Anri volunteered. The boys looked caught off guard at first but then agreed.</p><p>"Right," Masaomi said. Mikado said nothing.</p><p>The day at school seemed fairly normal enough. Mikado didn't have any sensory overload. Nothing stalking him out of the corner of his eyes. The worst had been faint whispers in the doorway. The girls fonded all over him no less. Mikado could relax by lunch.</p><p>"Anything happen this morning?" Masaomi asked on the school roof. Mikado shook his head. He paused before thinking.</p><p>"Kida-kun?" he asked.</p><p>"Hm?" his friend asked. Mikado leaned forward.</p><p>"Have you noticed anything… off about this school lately?" he asked. There was a moment of silence between them. Masaomi thought about that for a second.</p><p>"I did hear some whispering in the halls when no one else was there," he finally admitted. Mikado sighed in relief.</p><p>"So it isn't just me," he said. He remembered what led to this mess at school days ago. By the time he and Masaomi got to Raira Academy, the final gate had already been opened. The sky had turned a fiery red as the ground shook. Mikado knew then that the beginning of the end was coming.</p><p>Things got worse when it came to clean up time.</p><p>Mikado had been doing so good up to this point. He did his best to keep to himself. Anri kept her eye on him and asked if he was okay.</p><p>"I'm fine," he said in a low voice. By now, he just wanted school to be over.</p><p>Crash!</p><p>Mikado and Anri looked up when they heard a girl wail, "Oh no!" A junior classmate had dropped a glass jar on the floor. Millions of little pieces scattered on the floor.</p><p>"I'm so sorry!" she wailed.</p><p>"It's okay," Mikado said. He raced over and helped the girl clean up the mess. Anri joined in as well. As they were cleaning, an odd thought crossed Mikado's mind.</p><p>He began to think back to two nights ago. Mikado and Masaomi never got inside to see what was going on. Someone pushed them back before they could get a better look. It had to be either Fuyuko or Niki pushing him away. Mikado didn't get a chance to look. He could barely hear her screaming over the earth shaking and the screaming around them.</p><p>"Stay back!" she screamed. "Get out of here!" In that moment, the terror of what was going to happen flashed before his eyes.</p><p>Blood all over the ground. Bodies. Bodies piled everywhere. That damned Woman in Red laughing over the fires as Ikebukuro burned. Oh her laughter. Mikado could feel his ear burning in real life.</p><p>
  <em>Mikado-kun! Mikado-kun! Mikado-kun!</em>
</p><p>"Mikado-kun!"</p><p>The tadpole boy jerked himself back into reality. Anri stared at him with a worried look on his face.</p><p>"What?" Mikado asked. The Saika Mother seemed to be going so fast with her words. The tadpole did catch the words "Mikado" and "bleeding".</p><p>"I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked.</p><p>"Your hand is bleeding," Anri managed to say.</p><p>"Huh?" Mikado asked. The tadpole boy looked down at his hand on instinct. His left hand was pressed into many shards of glass. Blood started to wash over them.</p><p>"Oh my god! Are you okay?!" the junior girl cried. Her words sounded so distant as Mikado picked up his bloody hand. Glass shards were buried into the skin. His blood made them stand out. How long had he had his hands pressed down on the glass? Great fear settled over him as he realized just exactly what Sunday's experiment had do to his body. Mikado wanted to scream but no sound came out.</p>
<hr/><p>Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.</p><p>Her mismatched eyes slowly drew open. A gentle murmur filled her ears. Felt so warm on her skin. Her body floated around in her void nothingness. She could hear the waves flowing around her head.</p><p>
  <em>Wait… Is that…</em>
</p><p>A pulsing noise rang in her ears. The sound of heart beating made her feel so wet. Her plump red lips curved into a little smirk.</p><p>
  <em>He's here!</em>
</p><p>She rose to sitting position as the tingling sensation ran down her skin. Beside her, her staff materialized from thin air. The time had come. Soon, she would be with her siblings in the living world. She would be the first to make it to the surface.</p><p>But first, she needed to seek him out and battle him.</p><p>She rose to her feet and vanished out of her void.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Daichi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Three: Daichi:</p>
<p>-Daichi-</p>
<p>I am pretty.</p>
<p>That is not something to brag about. They don't take me seriously because of my looks. My mom and grandma think that I just have to be pretty. They pictured me as a model or an idol singer. Grandma went on and on about how she would like to see me in movies. But just isn't me. I am more than just pretty.</p>
<p>I love numbers. They have fascinated me since I was three. Because of this, I majored in mathematics. My mom and grandma didn't say anything but I could see it in their eyes. Disappointment. They just wanted me to just be pretty. Even in grade school, girls would get into physical fights over who would marry me. Thinking back, it makes me want to vomit.</p>
<p>The only three people that take me seriously are Kitano-sensei, Osamu, and Mari-san.</p>
<p>I looked up at Osamu across the table. "Hey, Osamu."</p>
<p>"Hm?" he asked.</p>
<p>"What's going to happen next?" I asked. He just shrugged his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Come on, man," I said. "Aren't you curious to know?"</p>
<p>"I guess," he said. I frowned to myself. I can never figure him out. We barely talk at all when we work. It kind of drives me crazy. In a way, Osamu is like me. We both are misunderstood in a way.</p>
<p>Suddenly, we heard a knock on the door.</p>
<p>"Come in!" Osamu shouted. We turned to see Kitano-sensei walking in with a mask on his face.</p>
<p>"Good morning, gentlemen," he greeted us.</p>
<p>"Good morning," I said. I quickly bowed. Osamu gave him a wave.</p>
<p>"Got more orders for us?" he asked. I couldn't tell if Kitano-sensei was smiling or not. He reached into his coat pocket.</p>
<p>"We have a special order from quite the young lady today," he said. Osamu and I took a look. My partner whistled.</p>
<p>"Whoa," he said. "Is she coming already?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"How soon do you need it?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Right now," he said. "I need you to get started right now."</p>
<p>"Yes sir!" Osamu and I said. Kitano-sensei has this strange charm to him. I will get more into that as we go along.</p>
<p>"Very good," he said. "I will leave you to it." Kitano-sensei bowed. He turned and walked out of our lab. I turned to Osamu. He just got straight to work. I shrugged and did the same. I will try to get to know him one day.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Keiichi-</p>
<p>Keiichi rubbed his forehead. Shirley titled her head.</p>
<p>"Why did I do this?" he asked. Week after week became a headache. Her "papa" wasn't going to let her go.</p>
<p>"Something wrong?" Shirley asked. Keiichi shook his head.</p>
<p>"No, no," he said. "It's fine. Everything is fine." He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wished that Arisu was here. She would know what to do.</p>
<p>Keiichi looked up when his phone rang. His stomach dropped as he had a guess who was on the other line.</p>
<p>"Hello?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Keiichi-kun?" a woman's voice asked on the other line. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Mom?" he asked.</p>
<p>"How have you been?" his mom asked.</p>
<p>"Uh… fine," he said. "Is everything okay?"</p>
<p>"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"</p>
<p>"Um… no reason," Keiichi said. He looked over at Shirley. The erotic dancer sat across from him, silent. Probably shouldn't tell mom about some youngish girl who could be trafficked and drugged like the other women.</p>
<p>Keiichi let his mother talk his ears off. His mind went off to Lala Land. The man's eyes stayed on Shirley. She wasn't the only who needed his help. Keiichi sighed to himself.</p>
<p>"I should probably check on Nanami today," he muttered.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?" his mother asked. Keiichi shook his head.</p>
<p>"Nothing," he said. "Just a friend of a friend. She's having problems."</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry to hear that," she said. His mother went on chattering. Keiichi began thinking of ways to get her off the phone. If this kept up, she would never let him go.</p>
<p>"Listen mom," he spoke up. "I have to go. I have to study for a test. Goodbye." Keiichi hung up before she could say another word. He noticed Shirley staring at him.</p>
<p>"Uh… did you finish your homework?" the college boy asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," she said. Keiichi sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Right…" he said to himself. Both just hung there in silence. The college boy's eyes shifted left and right. Part of him wished that Arisu was here to help him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Daichi-</p>
<p>My family is important to me. They have buried themselves deep into my life. I guess that would happen for being the only man of the house. So I have to take care of them. My sisters are named Hana and Chiyomi. Hana is in high school while Chi is about to finish junior high. Why is this knowledge relevant. Let's just say that Hana got herself in a bit of a jam before the start of the school year. And because of that, our branch got a new associate.</p>
<p>I looked up when I heard a knock on the door. I turned to see a man in a nice suit and glass. I frowned behind my gas mask.</p>
<p>"Flowers are over that way," I said pointed with a gloved hand to the right. He sheepishly walked into the room. I glared at him as he kept walking. This guy. Morita was his name. You know, it would be easy to kill him and dump the body. But I can't do anything that would draw unwanted attention to our game. That's the part that makes want to kick myself.</p>
<p>Morita gave me a sheepish look as he picked up the first big white flower. I watched him like I was a store clerk watching a suspicious customer.</p>
<p>"How many am I supposed to take today?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Eight," I said. The look on my face could've killed him if he saw it.</p>
<p>"That's it?" Morita asked.</p>
<p>"Is that a problem?" I asked. I stared at him for a few seconds, tops. He sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Fine," that bastard muttered. I watched as he walked out of the room. Seven more trips later and he was gone again. He closed the door behind him. I clicked my tongue stuck up by middle finger.</p>
<p>"Damn dude, why are you do hurt on him?" Osamu asked. I lowered the sprayer in my hands.</p>
<p>"You know what he is, right?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," my partner said. I looked up at him through my mask.</p>
<p>"He shouldn't have turned my sister," I said. "So now he has to pay for what he did." I could see Osamu trembling as I said that.</p>
<p>"That's cold, man," he said. I didn't say a word and went back to work. Anything for family.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Mikado-</p>
<p>The tadpole stared at the carnage in front of him. Knives sat on the table covered in blood. Two small hammers sat in front of him too. Bloody little pins too. Mikado sat there, trembling. Nothing. He couldn't feel anything when he stabbed himself in the hands. No matter how many times he hit or stabbed himself in the hands, there was no pain at all. Mikado stared down at his hands. The skin covered and blood seemed to laugh at him.</p>
<p>"What… What is this?" he asked. Mikado could feel bits and pieces sanity breaking away in his brain. Was he laughing? He couldn't tell if it was in his head or out loud.</p>
<p>"Mikado? Mikado!" Masaomi shouted behind him. The blonde shogun ran over to his friend with his jaw on the ground.</p>
<p>"What is this?! What did you do?" he asked. Masaomi picked up Mikado's hands. So many cuts all over them. He noticed that his friend had cut his pinky almost down to the bone. Tears welled up in Mikado's eyes.</p>
<p>"I can't feel it anymore," he said. "It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt." Masaomi could feel him trembling.</p>
<p>"Shhh, shhh, shhh," he whispered. A tear ran down Mikado's cheek.</p>
<p>"What am I going to do?" he whispered. The tadpole could barely move his left hand. Masaomi looked down and noticed how swollen it looked.</p>
<p>"Can you even move this?" he asked. Mikado shook his hand. Masaomi poked at the swollen parts. His friend didn't react.</p>
<p>"I can't even feel when you poke me," he said.</p>
<p>"You feel me poking you, right?" Masaomi asked. His friend nodded. The blonde shogun drew back his hand.</p>
<p>"Do you want to go to the hospital?" he asked. Mikado quickly shook his head.</p>
<p>"Look man, you can't leave your hand like this," Masaomi said. "We have to get you to a doctor or something."</p>
<p>"I don't want to see her there," the tadpole boy said.</p>
<p>"Who do you not want to see?" his best friend whispered. All of the color drained from Mikado's face.</p>
<p>"Asato-sensei," he managed to whisper in a choked up voice. The boy was trembling as soon as those words escaped his lips. Masaomi grabbed him by the cheeks.</p>
<p>"Okay, where do you want to go?" he asked. Mikado hesitated at first.</p>
<p>"Shinra's place," he said at last.</p>
<p>"Alright," Masaomi said. "We'll go there." Mikado lowered his eyes.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he whispered. His best friend took him by the injured hands.</p>
<p>"We'll clean up everything when we get back. Just don't try to mutilate your hands any further, okay?" he said. Mikado didn't speak as his friend led him out of the apartment.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Daichi-</p>
<p>So why am I here? The answer is simple, really. I just want to be taken seriously. I want to be more than just a pretty face. I have my hands and my brain that I am proud of. Kitano-sensei gets me. He treats me as such. Osamu does the same.</p>
<p>I looked over at my partner.</p>
<p>"Is everything set?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I have just cut the last herb," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"Good deal," I said. Everything was going well this evening. Our latest batch of Voluptas flowers were being delivered. We were going to see how this next round of the game was going to unfold. Our first guest would be coming down to our lab in a few minutes.</p>
<p>"Seven deadly sins," Osamu spoke up.</p>
<p>"Hm?" I asked. He lowered the scissors.</p>
<p>"Seven deadly sins, three beggars, and the four horsemen," my partner said. "They will all come and the Whore of Babylon will lead us to the Woman in Red. Then it all comes to an end."</p>
<p>"You have been studying, haven't you?" I asked. Osamu shrugged.</p>
<p>"Might as well," he said. I couldn't argue there.</p>
<p>High heels clacked down the hallway. She smiled to herself under her large black and pink hat. The receptionist whistled as she walked by. Her silver heart locket felt heavy around her neck. Tonight would the night for her freedom. How long has it been? Decades? Centuries? It didn't matter. She was here now.</p>
<p>She stretched her neck from side to side.</p>
<p>"I don't get out much," she said to herself. It felt good to be in the living world again. But first, she had to have a little procedure done. Two male interns spotted her as she walked by. They started blushing and whispered to each other. She smirked to herself.</p>
<p>
  <em>I still got it!</em>
</p>
<p>She came to lab 528 and knocked on the door. She waited in the hallway.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" a voice asked on the other side.</p>
<p>"It's me. I'm here for my appointment," she said. She took a step back as the door slid open. Daichi greeted her with his gas mask on.</p>
<p>"Oh, you're here," he said. "Nice to meet you, miss." Daichi took a quick bow. He looked up to see her with her eyebrow raised.</p>
<p>"Which one are you?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Oh!" Daichi said. "Where are my manners?" The man stepped forward into the hall and took off his gas mask. She whistled when she saw his face.</p>
<p>"Ho!" she said. "And what is your name?"</p>
<p>"Hajime Daichi," he said. "Nice to meet you."</p>
<p>"Do you know who I am?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Daichi said. "We both do."</p>
<p>"We?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah, my partner and I have been told to expect you," he said. "Do you want to come in?" She broke into a catlike grin.</p>
<p>"Never thought that you would ask," she said. Daichi put his gas mask back on and backed into the room. She followed him inside.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Friday-</p>
<p>Mikado made it back home. He looked at his bandaged up hand. Both of them would be fine in a few days. Shinra did a good job of stitching his pinky back together. Mikado understood why the gangsters in Ikebukuro all came to him. His brothers and sisters would be in the same boat too. How far had they gone to try and feel pain? Mikado winced just thinking about it.</p>
<p>"What do I do?" he asked himself again. That's always been that question ever since he learned the truth. More memories would be coming back soon. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened to him in all of those months in Chou Mori. Or what happened in the previous timelines. How many timelines were there?</p>
<p>Mikado shook his head.</p>
<p>Those questions would be the least of his worries. He couldn't stop thinking that something really bad was coming. It had been quiet over the last couple of days. Too quiet. Mikado's stomach turned as he remembered the visions that he had earlier this morning. He had seen a woman holding a red apple with a black serpent around his neck. She held out that apple towards him. A strange fear gripped him and wouldn't let him move. Her cold eyes locked on him. She didn't have to speak to scare him. But yet something seemed so enticing about her.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Mikado stopped in his tracks. He turned his head.</p>
<p>No one in sight. At least, not anyone physical. Mikado's eyes slowly shifted from left to right. He probably should run right now.</p>
<p>Wait… what is that smell? The tadpole boy took a sniff. A hint of cinnamon teased his nose. Cinnamon mixed with… Mixed with… Was that fruit?</p>
<p>"Close enough."</p>
<p>Mikado whipped his around head. A tall, pale woman stood behind him, inches away. He could see the darkness surrounding her. Her curves heightened the red flags in his head. This woman smiled as she giggled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Yokubo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Four: Yokubo:</p>
<p>-Eighteen Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>She stood in the laboratory with all of her seductive glory. Her long black dress hugged her curves. The silt came up to her right thigh. The top showed off her cleavage. Her long black hair came down to her waist. The kitten heels made her that much taller. Her black choker resembled a collar for a kitten. Her rose earrings and bracelet stood out against the black and her pale skin. Her big black hat covered her face. Daichi and Osamu had to give her their attention.</p>
<p>"Good evening, gentlemen," she said. Osamu stood up.</p>
<p>"Do you have a name?" he asked. She smiled, leaving shivers down their spines.</p>
<p>"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "You may call me Yokubo. Please treat me kindly." Her voice was smoother than voice and gave off a calming and seductive affect. Daichi stood up straighter.</p>
<p>"So nice to meet you at last," he said.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"Now, now," Yokubo said. "I know that I am pretty but really I am here to talk business. I believe you have something for me to help me with my little… predicament." Her silver heart locket caught the dim light above. Her graceful hands could barely touch it.</p>
<p>"My neck is so sore because of it," she said.</p>
<p>"We can help you with that," Daichi said. He picked up a small light pink tablet.</p>
<p>"Put this on your tongue and swallow," the man said. Yokubo took it with her graceful smile. She picked up the pill and stuck out her black tongue. The little round pink tablet rested on the top before she drew back in her tongue.</p>
<p>"Let it sit for it to really work," Daichi said. Yokubo watched him with her mouth closed. She tried to guess the taste un her mouth. The men watched and waited.</p>
<p>Tingles broke out all over her body. Her eyes widened under her hat. The pendant around her neck began to feel lighter.</p>
<p>"Ah!" Yokubo shouted. Her pulps dilated as fireworks went off in her mind. Her small silver locket hit the floor. Daichi and Osamu smiled.</p>
<p>"Better?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Oh yes!" Yokubo said. She held out her hands and looked at them. Small tingles ran through her fingers.</p>
<p>"They're back!" the woman said. "My powers are back." She looked up at the men.</p>
<p>"Thank you so much," Yokubo said with a bow. She looked down at the locket.</p>
<p>"Take it," she said. "Use it as you see fit."</p>
<p>"Thank you," Daichi said. "Where do you plan to go now?" Yokubo's lips curved into a hungry smirk.</p>
<p>"I have to meet up with my target to complete my part of the charm," she said.</p>
<p>"Ah," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"I wish you luck," his partner said.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Yokubo said, bowing. She vanished into thin air. Daichi and Osamu looked at each other for a moment. The younger man walked over and picked up the locket with his gloves. He dropped it in the baggie he had ready. Daichi turned it over side to side.</p>
<p>"That's one down," he said.</p>
<p>"Six to go," Osamu added.</p>
<p>"Yes," Daichi said. He closed up the bag. They would get the locket to Kitano by morning.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Present Time-</p>
<p>Mikado stared at the statuesque pale woman smiling at him. Her hourglass figure screamed at him to run away while tempting him to come closer. Thick thighs, wide hips, and her large bosom were held tight in her long black dress.</p>
<p>"Found you," she cooed. Mikado tried to will his body to do anything.</p>
<p>"Uh… who are you?" he asked. The woman pouted at him.</p>
<p>"Aw, Chirin, how could you not remember me?" she asked. Mikado flinched when he heard that name.</p>
<p>"That is not my name," he muttered under his breath. Naturally, the woman ignored him.</p>
<p>"Do you know who I am?" she asked. Mikado took a step back, shaking his head.</p>
<p>"No," he said. She started to frown.</p>
<p>"Don't be mean," she whimpered. The tadpole's eyes widened. The woman kept her mismatched eyes locked on him. A wave of memories filled Mikado's mind as he trembled.</p>
<p>"Yokubo?" he whimpered. The woman broke into a little smile.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" Mikado asked. Yokubo's lips curved into a hungry smile. She looked like she was ready lunge at him and eat him up.</p>
<p>"You know what I want," the woman purred. Mikado slowly shook his head. More memories filled his head. Yokubo licked her lips.</p>
<p>"Chirin," she said. "You sure know how to tease a girl, don't you?" Her honey-toned voice made him gulp. Mikado wanted to turn around and run. Bu something deep down inside told him to embrace her. That smirk on her face invited him to do as such. Her figure teased him for his attention. Yokubo playfully bit on the tip of her finger for a bit.</p>
<p>"Come on," she said. The woman vanished in front of him. She reappeared behind her target. Her arms rested on his shoulders. Her perfume made his head swim. Yokubo let her hands roam down his chest. She gently blew on his left ear. Mikado glanced at her out of his peripheral vision. Yokubo smiled like a hungry cat.</p>
<p>"You have to play with me," she purred. "I can be so entertaining." Mikado swallowed back his drool.</p>
<p>"I have a girlfriend," he said. Yokubo giggled.</p>
<p>"So?" she asked. Mikado turned his head.</p>
<p>"What's wrong with a little fun on the side?" she asked. Her hands started to slide down lower. His body screamed at him to shove her off.</p>
<p>"I'm not like that," Mikado said. He started to squirm away from her devilish hands. She snickered as she moved down to her genitals. The tadpole boy started to get flashbacks of Yayoi running her hands all over him.</p>
<p>"Stop it," he forced himself to say. Mikado tried to push her off. Yokubo laughed as she let him go.</p>
<p>"Aw, don't be like that," she said. "We're just playing around." The tadpole boy shivered.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" he asked. Yokubo bowed with grace.</p>
<p>"You and I are to fight," she said. She put up her hand as Mikado opened his mouth to speak.</p>
<p>"Not tonight," Yokubo said. "We will fight in three nights' time." The tadpole boy had a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" he asked. "Why then?" She gave him an angelic pout.</p>
<p>"I just now got my powers back," Yokubo said. She turned her dainty wrists in circles. "That locket around my neck was draining my power. I was losing strength every day." Her fingers felt along her pale neck. Mikado stared at her slowly backing away. He couldn't understand why he hadn't ran away yet. Her perfume made him gag. The woman looked him up and down. Her facial expression told him that she wanted to rip off his clothes off right now.</p>
<p>"We're both still in development," she said. "You are still evolving. You're going to be really powerful. I just know it. I want to be at my strongest to fight you. And who knows? We'll both help each other out."</p>
<p>"Why would I want to do that?" Mikado asked. He paused in his words. Yokubo was inches away from his face now. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Not a gentle kiss either. It felt like she was trying to suck his face off. Mikado tried to push her off but she wouldn't let him go. Yokubo pushed him in closer in fact. She just had to have more. The mere taste of him made the woman hunger for more.</p>
<p>
  <em>I am going to enjoy every second of you!</em>
</p>
<p>Hearing her voice in his head made Mikado want to vomit.</p>
<p>Finally, Yokubo let go of her prey. Mikado stood back panting with wide eyes. She looked at the pale woman as he started to shake. Her lips covered into a catlike smile.</p>
<p>"See you in three nights," she said. Yokubo vanished into thin air. All of the blood drained from Mikado's face. Her perfume lingered in the air.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kitano looked at the pendant in the bag. He could feel the heat pulsing off of it. The craved details of the locket sang a silent song to him. Despite the dull surface, the therapist had to admit that this was a beautiful locket.</p>
<p>"Very good, gentlemen," he said.</p>
<p>"Thank you, sir," Daichi said, bowing. Osamu bowed as well. Kitano walked over to the spinning altar on the table near the door. He opened the baggie and dropped the locket onto Lust's slot. The air around the altar grew hot and began to pulse. All three men felt a little hot in the cheeks.</p>
<p>"Excellent," the therapist said. He turned to Daichi and Osamu.</p>
<p>"Now we went for Yokubo-san to fight her target," Kitano added.</p>
<p>"Who do you think will win?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Who can say?" the therapist said. "We just need her and the others to fight." A cold smile spread across his face.</p>
<p>"If you don't have anything else, you can go," he said. Daichi and Osamu turned to leave. Kitano turned back to the altar. The sweet silent notes of the locket floated through the air. She would be able to hear them. And pretty soon, they would meet again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I'm home," Mikado muttered as he opened his door. Masaomi and Anri sat on his futon in the dark.</p>
<p>"What happened to you?" Masaomi asked. Mikado lowered his eyes. He mumbled something under his breath. The tadpole turned and walked into the bathroom. Masaomi and Anri looked at each other as the door slammed shut.</p>
<p>"Mikado?" Masaomi asked. He jumped up and ran over to the door.</p>
<p>"Please leave me alone," the tadpole boy pleaded. Masaomi turned back to Anri. She too had a confused look on her face. She tried to ignore Saika screaming inside of her.</p>
<p>
  <em>Marked! Marked! He's been marked!</em>
</p>
<p>Mikado froze in his bathroom. Saika seemed overjoyed to say that. She had come to despise him because of his powers. That human-obsessed demon would like to see him burn. She was probably betting against him too.</p>
<p>"What does she mean you have been marked?" Anri asked. Mikado's stomach dropped.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" Masaomi asked. The tadpole boy covered his ears as he started to tremble.</p>
<p>"I don't feel so good," he mumbled to himself. He could still smell that damned perfume.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Keiichi and Shirley-</p>
<p>The phone calls wouldn't stop. Keiichi kept getting them every night. He tried his best to ignore them. He even told Shirley not to answer his phone.</p>
<p>"Bad people keep trying to call me," he said. "If you don't recognize the number, don't answer it, okay?"</p>
<p>"Okay," Shirley said. She seemed to understand his instructions.</p>
<p>Tonight would be no different. Only, the top had to go and make it worse.</p>
<p>Shirley sat on his bed while Keiichi was taking a bath. Lately, he seemed tense about something.</p>
<p>"Remember what I said," Keiichi told her.</p>
<p>"Okay," Shirley said. He kissed her on the forehead.</p>
<p>"You can take a bath after me," Keiichi told her. He gave her another kiss on the forehead before walking into the bathroom. Shirley just sat on the bed watching him.</p>
<p>His phone rang on the nightstand.</p>
<p>"Hello?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Hello, darling," Hikibi said.</p>
<p>"Papa!" Shirley said. She sounded like a little child as she spoke. Her eyes lit up brighter than stars.</p>
<p>"How have you been?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Do you know where Keiichi is?" the old man asked.</p>
<p>"He's taking a bath," the girl said. She started playing with her hair.</p>
<p>"Aw," he said. "Can you deliver a message for me, honey?"</p>
<p>"Okay," she said. The conversation didn't last that much longer.</p>
<p>Moments later, Keiichi came out of the bathroom.</p>
<p>"Ah," he said. "That was great. Bath is all yours." The young man noticed the smile on Shirley's face.</p>
<p>"Papa called me," she said cheerfully. Keiichi froze.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked.</p>
<p>"He told me to give you a message," she said.</p>
<p>"What did he say?" Keiichi asked in a trembling voice. Shirley sat there the whole time with a little smile on her face. She didn't even miss a beat when she spoke.</p>
<p>"It's time to pay up," Shirley said with no emotion in her voice she quoted her "papa". All of the color drained from his face. He turned and walked out of the room.</p>
<p>"Keiichi-kun?" Shirley asked. The bedroom door closed behind him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-3:00 a.m.-</p>
<p>Yokubo floated outside Mikado's window. She could see her target hiding in his bathroom. He probably could smell her perfume again. Her lips curved into a hungry smile. How much longer now? Three more nights.</p>
<p>Happy chills ran through her curved body.</p>
<p>She felt tempted to go in and claim him as her own. But no. Yokubo would have to wait. No bother. The greater the tease the sweeter the climax. She blew a kiss at the apartment.</p>
<p>"Good night," Yokubo whispered.</p>
<p>Then the woman disappeared into thin air.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Concupiscence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Five: Concupiscence:</p>
<p>She looked like a goddess.</p>
<p>Her body was positioned on her bed of silk red sheets. Whoever killed her took the time to wash and dress her. Short red silk teddy with black lace. Hair spread out on her pillow. Make-up done up with a professional hand. Arms out to form a triangle with her upper body. Mouth slightly opened. Legs slightly pushed apart. Cherry blossom and rose petals scattered all over along with her sex toys. Candles lit at her feet.</p>
<p>She was the most beautiful sex worker in the soapland.</p>
<p>The police couldn't figure it out. Her clients all loved her. No enemies either.</p>
<p>"Did she have any obsessed stalkers as clients?" the detective asked the owner of the soapland.</p>
<p>"We usually keep those types out," the madam said.</p>
<p>"Did she seem worried or anxious prior to death?"</p>
<p>"No. Mirai always came to work cheerful as ever. Last night was no different."</p>
<p>"Any clients that seemed out of the ordinary? From what you're used to, I mean."</p>
<p>"No. Though, there was one girl who was looking to use the phone to get a ride. I told her this wasn't a taxi service. She didn't say a word. She just walked out of her room."</p>
<p>"Can we check the footage?"</p>
<p>"Yes, follow me." The madam led the detective into the building taped off by police. Everyone stood outside watching as the police tried to shoe them away.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Saturday Morning-</p>
<p>The texts wouldn't stop coming. Mikado thought about turning off his phone altogether. He did at one point but the texts still didn't stop. They all said the same thing.</p>
<p>"I am waiting for you."</p>
<p>Mikado had a good guess as to where this was from.</p>
<p>However, it came to his attention that he wasn't alone anymore.</p>
<p>"What you want, Cheri-san?" the tadpole boy asked. He turned to his head. The curvy light purple-haired madam sat on his futon, smirking at him.</p>
<p>"How did you know it was me, darling?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I could smell your perfume," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Aw, I'm so flattered that you remember," Cheri said. The tadpole frowned at her.</p>
<p>"What do you want?" he asked again. She crawled over and looked at his phone.</p>
<p>"Oof, she's persistent, isn't she?" the madam asked. Mikado frowned as he puffed up his cheeks.</p>
<p>"Do you want to fight her?" Cheri asked.</p>
<p>"No," the boy said, wrinkling his nose. The madam frowned as she gave him a sympathetic look. She took him by the hands.</p>
<p>"You can't get away from her," Cheri said in a low voice.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Mikado asked. She pulled his hands towards her chest. Already, he didn't like where this was heading.</p>
<p>"There is no way out of it," Cheri told him. He started to speak but she put up her hand to stop him.</p>
<p>"She's not going to stop chasing you," she said. "And darling, you can't call up your little friends in the Dollars either." Mikado's jaw locked up closed.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry, darling," Cheri told him. "Once you are marked, you can't avoid it. However, there is a way to win." Mikado lifted his head.</p>
<p>"How?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You're going to need a weapon to fight," the madam said. "Here." Cheri reached behind her and pulled out a long staff from thin air. An odd look came over Mikado's face.</p>
<p>"That's it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Cheri said.</p>
<p>"But… why does it look so… phallic?" Mikado asked. The ghostly madam looked at the deep pink dildo-shaped staff. Cheri smiled like a drunk as she leaned into the tadpole boy's ear.</p>
<p>"Don't ask stupid questions," she whispered. The madam pulled back. "Now, listen closely. This staff is blessed with all of the girls that love you in Purgatory. I had Victor-sensei craft it by hand." She tried not to laugh.</p>
<p>"You should've seen his when I showed him the design," Cheri said. Mikado blinked at her.</p>
<p>"But why does it look like a giant dildo?" he asked as his cheeks grew redder.</p>
<p>"Isn't it obvious?" she asked.</p>
<p>"No…" the tadpole boy said. The madam sighed.</p>
<p>"You really don't remember all it, do you?" she asked. Mikado shook his head.</p>
<p>"Whew," she said. "Should've guessed as much. What all do you remember?" That question alone sparked up more memories in his head. The color started to drain from his face.</p>
<p>"I've fought her before, haven't I?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Cheri said. Mikado sat up straight with a serious look on his face.</p>
<p>"Tell me what to do," he said. Cheri smiled and put her hands on his.</p>
<p>"It's a good thing you are a quick learner now," she said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was a good thing that Keiichi had help. Celty got into his mission on accident.</p>
<p>-Five Months Earlier-</p>
<p>Keiichi's phone rang on his desk. He didn't recognize the number at first.</p>
<p>"Hello?" the boy asked. Whimpering came through the other line. Keiichi stared at his phone with a confused look.</p>
<p>"Hello?" he asked. "Who is this? Hello? Hello?" More whimpering and sobbing came through. Suddenly, Keiichi froze.</p>
<p>
  <em>Wait a minute. I know what voice!</em>
</p>
<p>"Nanami-sensei?" Keiichi asked. "Is that you? Sensei? Sensei?" More whimpering came before the other line disconnected. Keiichi stared at his phone. It didn't take him long to get up and run out of the apartment.</p>
<p>It's hard to look for someone and help them if you don't where they are. Lucky for Keiichi, he had a clue. Not a good one, mind you. He didn't have time to worry about that now. The boy needed to get to Nanami before it was too late.</p>
<p>Keiichi looked around and wondered if it would be better to call a cab or not. Would he even be able to make it in time? The boy turned his head when he heard a motorcycle going by. Celty was passing by. On an impulse, Keiichi stuck up his hands in the air.</p>
<p>"Hey!" he shouted. "Hey!" The motorcycle pulled to a stop. Keiichi jumped onto Shooter without saying a word.</p>
<p>"Hurry! We have to get to East Village Apartments!" he shouted. Celty looked confused with her non-existent face behind her helmet.</p>
<p>[What?! Who are you?!] she typed on her PDA.</p>
<p>"Don't ask questions!" Keiichi yelled. "Just go! We don't have much time!" Celty felt compelled to comply. Shooter took off ripping through the streets. He could've left a trail of fire in his wake.</p>
<p>They managed to find the apartment complex. Keiichi hopped off and raced towards the stairs. Celty took off after him in curiosity. They made it to apartment number 18. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Keiichi pushed it wide open.</p>
<p>"Nanami-sensei!" he shouted. Nothing looked out of place in the living room. Keiichi's stomach dropped as he tried not to think of the worst.</p>
<p>"Nanami-sensei?" he asked again. The college boy took slow steps inside. That's when he heard the water running.</p>
<p>"Sensei!" he shouted. Keiichi ran after the sound. Celty followed behind. They found Nanami-sensei in the bathroom slumped over her tub. The bathtub was starting to overflow. Both of her wrists were cut.</p>
<p>"Sensei!" Keiichi yelled as he ran over to her. He pulled her out of the water in time. He pressed two fingers to her neck. Keiichi sat back and breathed out.</p>
<p>"She's still alive," he said. "We made it in time." Celty used her shadows to bandage up the wounds. Keiichi pulled out his phone and called an ambulance.</p>
<p>Hours later, Nanami woke up in the hospital. She had a confused look on her face.</p>
<p>"Huh? Where am I?" the teacher mumbled.</p>
<p>"The hospital," a voice spoke up. Nanami whipped her head around. Keiichi and Celty sat by her bed. The teacher blinked at first.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" she asked.</p>
<p>"It's me, Keiichi," the college boy said. "You called me yesterday crying and sobbing. And you called me again a while back in the middle of the night." Nanami nodded as if in a daze.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh…" she mumbled. "And who is she?" Celty leaned forward and started typing.</p>
<p>[My name is Celty. We found you in your apartment. Do you remember what happened?] she typed. The teacher froze. The memories from the previous evening filled her head. Nanami looked down at her bandaged up wrists. Tears landed on them as she started to tremble.</p>
<p>"Why… why did you save me?" Nanami asked. She broke sobbing. Keiichi tried to shush her as he rubbed her back.</p>
<p>"Shhh, it's okay," he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay." It was then that Celty had to at least stay near Nanami through whatever she was going through.</p>
<p>-Present Day-</p>
<p>Keiichi took his phone out of Shirley's hand and dialed up a familiar number.</p>
<p>"Hey, Celty," he said. "I'm going to need your help again." The college boy nervously laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Cheri had worked hard to make sure Mikado would win this fight. He wouldn't be allowed to back out of this. It wouldn't matter if he won or not. The Tandeki group would be the real winners.</p>
<p>First came the weapon.</p>
<p>Cheri walked up to Room 508. She smiled and knocked on the door.</p>
<p>"Coming!" a muffled voice shouted. She could hear crashing around from inside. Cheri took a step back as the door opened. A young-looking man with messy dark brown hair poked his head outside.</p>
<p>"Yeah?" he asked. Cheri clapped her hands together.</p>
<p>"Sensei!" she said. "So good to see you." The man rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"What do you want, Cheri?" he asked. The madam had a serious look on her face.</p>
<p>"I need a weapon," she said. The doctor didn't say a word. He ducked into his room. Cheri followed behind.</p>
<p>"What type of weapon do you need?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"A spear," she said. The doctor paused and turned around.</p>
<p>"What kind of spear?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. Cheri didn't miss a point when she described exactly what she wanted. The doctor's face grew pale.</p>
<p>"You want me to do what?!" he shouted.</p>
<p>"Please?" the madam asked.</p>
<p>"Aw hell no!" the doctor shouted.</p>
<p>"Come on, Victor!" Cheri said. "You know who this is for!"</p>
<p>"Well, yeah," Victor said. "But why does it have to be <em>that</em> shape?!"</p>
<p>"You know who he's going up against, do you?"</p>
<p>The doctor folded his arms across his chest. "No!" Cheri gave him a little pout.</p>
<p>"Please?" she pleaded. Victor frowned as he looked away. He already knew what was going to happen but he wasn't going to give it to her right away.</p>
<p>But Cheri was not deterred.</p>
<p>It took the doctor about two weeks to craft the staff. Just before she went to see Mikado, Cheri stopped by Victor's room. She knocked on the door. The madam stepped back as the door opened. The doctor held out the staff with gloved hands. Cheri's eyes lit up brighter than diamonds.</p>
<p>"It's perfect!" she shouted. The madam clapped her hands together. "I knew I could count on you!"</p>
<p>"Touch it," Victor said.</p>
<p>"Hm?" Cheri asked.</p>
<p>"You have to touch it to power it up," he explained.</p>
<p>"Ah!" the madam said. She took hold of the deep pink staff with two hands. A quick jolt ran through her body, making her toes curl. She let off a small gasp before letting go. Cheri panted as she turned to the doctor.</p>
<p>"What was that?" she asked, flushed. The doctor gave her a sly smile.</p>
<p>"You just fed the staff some of your energy," he said. "It didn't take too much. You just made it little bit stronger." Cheri gave him a curious look.</p>
<p>"So the more people who touch it, the stronger it gets?" she asked.</p>
<p>"That's right," Victor said. The madam's lips curved into a hungry smile.</p>
<p>"That's just what I needed to know, doc," she said.</p>
<p>It took Cheri days to get all of the girls in Purgatory to touch the staff. Not just her kittens either. She went room by room to all of the girls who adored Mikado. Cheri even went as far as to go down to Limbo at Maria's bar to have those women touch the staff.</p>
<p>With each pair of hands on the wood, the weapon got stronger. Still, Cheri needed one more set of hands to make it powerful. She knew the right place to get it.</p>
<p>The ghostly madam appeared at Anri's door on Sunday evening. She started to knock but paused. There was a faster way to do this. Cheri vanished into thin air.</p>
<p>"Hey Anri!" she called in a sing-songy voice. The girl whipped around with a yelp. Cheri stood behind her in the kitchen, grinning. She got a good look at the girl's petite and busty figure. So it was true. Mikado did like girls with big breasts. Cheri stored that away in the back of her mind for later.</p>
<p>"Aw don't be like that," she said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to talk." Anri looked so confused.</p>
<p>"About what?" she asked. Cheri gave her a serious look.</p>
<p>"It's about Mikado," she said. "He's in danger."</p>
<p>"What?" the teenaged girl asked. Cheri put up her hand to stop her for a moment.</p>
<p>"He is going to fight a really strong woman," the madam said. "He isn't allowed to have any one to back him up. He has to do this alone. But there is still a way to help him."</p>
<p>"How?" Anri asked. Cheri reached behind her from the thin air and pulled out the staff. She shoved it towards to the girl.</p>
<p>"Touch it," she commanded. "You have to bless it for him. Give him your strength." Anri stared at the large phallic weapon in from of her. A strange warmth filled her chest. As if it a trance, her hands itched towards the staff.</p>
<p><em>No! Don't do it! Stop!</em> Saika screamed inside of her. Cheri cut the girl's chest a cold glare.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shut the fuck up!</em>
</p>
<p>Saika instantly went quiet. Anri reached forward and grabbed the staff. A high shock ran through her body. Her cheeks flushed red as she started to tremble. Her toes curled as she gasped. Anri quickly dropped the weapon. Cheri caught the staff in time.</p>
<p>"W-W-What was that?" Anri asked, still trembling. The madam put her arm around her, gently shushing her.</p>
<p>"It was you sending him your love to help him through this fight," she whispered. "Mikado-kun will be grateful to you for helping him. You will be fine in a few moments. Here, let me help you lay down." She gently carried the girl off to her living room. Anri stared wide-eyed the whole time.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Mikado got another text as he came home. Already, he had an idea who this was from.</p>
<p>Against his better judgement, the tadpole boy opened the text. His stomach turned as he read that brief message. All of the other texts from her had been blank. But this one was different because of the actual message attached to it.</p>
<p>"I am looking forward to our fight, baby. You better not stand me up. If it's one thing hate more than anything is being stood up! I will hunt you down if you do."</p>
<p>It was then Mikado knew that he had no choice but to fight.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Monday Evening-</p>
<p>Mikado remembered all of Cheri's directions down to a tee.</p>
<p>"It will be on her terms. Everything from the location to the rules. The only thing you have control over is the weapon."</p>
<p>"But I don't have any fighting skills," Mikado told her on Sunday night. Cheri gently took his hands.</p>
<p>"You are more capable than you think," she said. "Just remember everything I have to say."</p>
<p>Back in present day, Mikado pulled out his phone.</p>
<p>"She will send you the coordinates to the battle ground. No directions. No map. You are smart enough to figure out where you need to be."</p>
<p>He pulled up the text on his phone. Sure enough, Yokubo had sent him coordinates to the battlefield. It didn't take long for him to figure out where to go.</p>
<p>Mikado ended up at an old entry to an abandoned subway station. A confused look came over his face. He could feel the pulsing waves come from downstairs. Too late to turn back now. The tadpole boy took a breath and walked down the stairs.</p>
<p>He could feel the pulsing energy around his body. Mikado gulped as he kept walking. Each step made his stomach drop. Suddenly, a strange warmth filled his chest. Yokubo's perfume made his nose tickle. Just a little bit longer.</p>
<p>Mikado finally made it to the bottom step. Yokubo stood across the platform. Her lips curved into a hungry smile when she spotted him. Her mismatched eyes lit up as she clapped her hands together.</p>
<p>"You made it!" Yokubo shouted. Mikado frowned, unimpressed. She reached behind her and pulled out her staff from thin air. The tadpole boy stared at the top of the black curved blade. The designs on the surface seemed to be singing.</p>
<p>"We have one hour to battle," she said. "We can only use our weapons. The duel will only end if one of us wins or time runs out. And don't worry about falling on the tracks, we are in a barrier. See?" Yokubo pulled out a coin and threw it towards a train rushing by. The yen piece hit the wall and bounced back into her hand. Yokubo smiled at her opponent.</p>
<p>"Any questions? You are only allowed three before we begin," she said. Mikado stood up straight.</p>
<p>"Who are you really?" he asked. Yokubo giggled. Such a saccharine sound made him want to vomit.</p>
<p>"You already know who I am. But I will humor you and tell you," she said. She flipped back her long black hair.</p>
<p>"I am the deity of lust," Yokubo said with grace in her voice. "At your service." The pale curvaceous woman bowed.</p>
<p>"Two more questions," she said.</p>
<p>"Okay…" Mikado said. "Why me?" Yokubo licked her lips.</p>
<p>"Your energy drew me to you," she said. The woman held up her hand before Mikado could waste his final question. "Some of you have that energy that just draws us deities to you. The gates being opened has made us that much stronger. As for you and me, yours just happened to be the first one that floated through my body as I woke up."</p>
<p>"Last question," Yokubo said. Mikado's shoulders stiffened up.</p>
<p>"What happens if either of us wins?" he asked. Yokubo chuckled again. There she went with that laughter again.</p>
<p>"Nothing," she said. Mikado had a confused look on his face. The pale woman held up her hand again.</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter who wins or loses," Yokubo said. "We just have to fight to free up my full powers." She winked and blew a kiss at him.</p>
<p>"But, enough of the chatter," Yokubo said. She drew her staff forward, curved blade pointed at her target.</p>
<p>"Show me your weapon!" she shouted. Mikado had a nervous look on his face.</p>
<p>"Come on!" Yokubo said. "Don't keep me waiting. I don't like teasing with you pay off!" Mikado sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"I don't want to have to carry this around with me!" he complained to Cheri on Sunday evening.</p>
<p>"You can keep this in the space like I do," the madam said. "Try it." The tadpole frowned as he reached behind him. To his surprise, his fingers touched wood.</p>
<p>"Wait…" he said. Mikado pulled out his staff from thin air and held it out in front of him. His jaw dropped.</p>
<p>"Whoa!" he said. Mikado turned to Cheri.</p>
<p>"How is this even possible?" he asked. She smiled and tapped the side of her nose.</p>
<p>"Just a little special magic," the madam said. "You can just pull out the staff when you're ready."</p>
<p>"So I won't have to carry it around in public?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"No," Cheri said.</p>
<p>"Thank you for that that," he said, bowing. The madam only smiled to herself.</p>
<p>"Anything to help out my beloved pet," she said.</p>
<p>Back in present day, Mikado reached behind him and pulled out that phallic-looking staff out of thin air. Yokubo whistled as her mismatched eyes lit up.</p>
<p>"Oh!" she said. Her smooth voice dripping with honey.</p>
<p>She made the first move. Was it possible for such a beauty to move so quick? Her long black dress clung to every graceful curve of her body as she sailed forward. The dull atmosphere of the train station couldn't even touch her skin and hair. Her breasts stayed in place behind her dress. Even her bladed staff looked elegant next to her.</p>
<p>Despite not being able to take his eyes off the blade or her body, Mikado was able to move out of the way in time as if on instinct. Before he realized what he was doing, he already had his staff in front of him as a staff. Yokubo smirked at him.</p>
<p>"Not bad," she said. The pale woman leapt back and went in for another thrust. This time, she let out a scream meant for the bedroom. Mikado started to breathe heavily as he put up his staff for blocking. This time, she was so close when they made contact. The seductively vile woman leaned in for a kiss. This was quicker than the knee to the stomach she gave him.</p>
<p>It was a good thing he couldn't feel that.</p>
<p>However, Mikado was knocked backwards to the ground. He still wouldn't let go of the staff. The boy managed to take a swing to her flat abdomen. Yokubo tumbled back as the breath caught in her throat. Mikado ran forward with his staff.</p>
<p>The woman of lust giggled to herself. When was the last time she had this much fun? In truth, she was worried that Mikado was going to be a weakling. At first glance, he didn't look so special as she had sensed underground. But since that first blow, she was proved wrong.</p>
<p>Her laughter grew louder.</p>
<p>"My, my, my," she said. "I never thought this fight was going to be so much fun!" The woman's laughter got louder. That saccharine laugh most Mikado want to vomit. He ran forward with his staff. Yokubo looked as Mikado aimed his staff at her chest. Part of her wanted to embrace his deep pink staff. But instinct wasn't going to let her give in just yet. She jumped up and took another jab to the stomach. Yokubo let out a low moan as she threw back her head.</p>
<p>"Oh!" she cried. Mikado panted harder as sweat formed on his brow. How many rounds were they going to go? The pale seductive woman rose to her feet and licked her lips.</p>
<p>"I could do this all night if we could!" she shouted. Yokubo rushed in for another kiss. She moved too quick for Mikado to block her. A dainty foot kicked his own feet out from under him. He used his staff to break his fall. Not so gracefully, though.</p>
<p>"Aw, you're so cute," Yokubo said. "Too cute." She took a swing with her blade. A cut from his cheek to chest. Blood slowly ran down the skin. It was a good thing Mikado couldn't feel it. His opponent frowned.</p>
<p>"How come you're not screaming in pain?" she asked. By now, the tadpole had no emotion on his face.</p>
<p>"I can't feel it," he said. An intrigued look came across the elegant woman's face.</p>
<p>"Oh," she said. "So you have no limits?"</p>
<p>"No," Mikado said. The woman licked her lips as her eyes lit up.</p>
<p>"Well, that makes things more interesting, doesn't it?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Huh?" the tadpole boy asked. Yokubo smirked as she rushed forward and tackled him by the waist.</p>
<p>Both ended up on the ground. She straddled him and started hitting him about the face and neck. The look on her face was one of a hungry animal. Her mismatched eyes were drowned in her namesake. The woman had her mouth slightly open with her tongue slipping out. Her thick thighs had an irony grip on his body. Did her body have to be so close to his? Her cinnamon mixed with fruit perfume choked him. The overpowering smell made his head spin. Mikado tried not to stare at her large breasts as she wailed on him. He could feel her fists making impact but no pain in his face. It didn't help that she moaned with each blow.</p>
<p>"Come on!" Yokubo said as she bucked her hips back and forth. "Fight back! Fight back! Fight back!" She moaned aloud and threw back her head. Her words had a hypnotic spell on his mind. Mikado used the strength that he forgot he had to push her off.</p>
<p>"Oh!" Yokubo cried in pleasure. "Hit me again, Big Boy!" Mikado jumped on her on impulse. It was his turn to straddle her. By now, he was lost in his own passionate fever to continue this fight.</p>
<p>Mikado's eyes were glazed over as he started wailing on the woman. He was breathing so heavily. His fists landed on her face, neck, and collar bones. The tadpole boy made animalistic noises with each blow. His own hips bucked back and forth. Mikado wasn't aware of how strong he was. It didn't matter to him. He just wanted this battle to end. Yokubo moaned in pleasure as she threw back her head.</p>
<p>"Oh yes! Give me more! More! More! Hit me as hard as you can, big boy!" she shouted the whole time. All of that compelled her opponent to hit her faster. Groans escaped from his lips.</p>
<p>"Fuck!" Mikado let out. Yokubo laughed aloud. The boy wrapped his hands around her throat. A series of choking and moaning managed to come out of her mouth. Mikado bucked his hips faster. This wasn't going to kill her but he needed some sort of release from this duel. If he could just get her to lose consciousness long enough for him to escape…</p>
<p>A vice like grip wrapped around his wrists. Yokubo started pushing back.</p>
<p>"What the-?" Mikado asked. His opponent lifted her head and managed to sneak in a bite on his right forearm. It was a good thing that he still couldn't feel pain. She used her leg to push him off. Mikado ended up trembling backwards. He lay on the ground, panting. Yokubo lifted her head, smirking. Her hair was spread out all around her. She looked like a rag doll all laid out.</p>
<p>"Looks like time is up, my dear," she said. A crooked smile of afterglow spread across her smile.</p>
<p>"No!" Mikado said in between breaths. She gave him an odd look.</p>
<p>"Oh?" the woman asked.</p>
<p>"This isn't over yet!" he said. "You cheated!"</p>
<p>"Cheated?" she asked. Mikado held up his bare arm.</p>
<p>"You bit me!" he hissed. She shrugged her dainty shoulders.</p>
<p>"That's just how it is," the woman said. Yokubo pushed herself to sitting up. She broke into a huge grin.</p>
<p>"Anyway, I had such a great time," the woman said. "If you were this much fun in a fight, I can't wait to see how much fun you are in bed." She winked and blew a kiss at him. Mikado gritted his teeth. She winked and blew a kiss at him. Mikado gritted his teeth. He wobbled as he tried to push himself to stand up but he toppled over. Yokubo wagged her finger as she shook her head.</p>
<p>"Tsk-tsk," she said. "You shouldn't overdo it. There's going to be plenty of time for us to fight <em>and</em> play again."</p>
<p>"Never," Mikado hissed. Yokubo giggled.</p>
<p>"Now, now," she said. "You don't have to be so cruel. I do enjoy one-offs. But you. You're too much fun to give up. After all, I left a little piece of myself to remember me by." Mikado gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Yokubo rose to her feet.</p>
<p>"You will see in all due time," she told him. The pale woman blew him a kiss.</p>
<p>"Goodbye," Yokubo cooed. Then she vanished into thin air. Mikado still frowned at the empty space. A lingering sense of unease refused to leave him. He made a mental note to try and avoid her the next time.</p>
<p>Mikado shuddered as he pulled himself to his feet. The staff was already stashed away into the thin air behind him. He dragged himself up the stairs. By the time Mikado reached the top, it was starting to be daylight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Walker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>II: Gluttony</p>
<p>Halo Six: Walker:</p>
<p>-Thursday Afternoon-</p>
<p>Erika sat across from Walker in the maid cafe with a look of unease on her face.</p>
<p>"Have you calmed down now?" she asked. Walker chowed down on his rice omelet.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. She didn't look so convinced.</p>
<p>-Three Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>Erika and Walker went down to the bookstore to buy the latest horror manga out.</p>
<p>"What's with the creepy shit lately?" Saburo asked. The otaku pair didn't have an answer. In fact, they had just now noticed it. So much blood, gore, monsters, violence, and corpses. Light and happy stuff didn't seem to interest the otaku pair lately. Kadota didn't pay it any mind.</p>
<p>Lately, Walker and Erika hungered for something more disturbing.</p>
<p>"You sure it's out today?" Erika asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Walker insisted. He was the one to find this manga first. The young man was looking for something strong in the horror circles. One day, he got a DM to try out this manga. Well, it was the first three pages. The art looked so elegant with the colors so lush. Walker was so engrossed in the story that he grew disappointed when he finished the first page.</p>
<p>"Where is the rest of it?" he asked. At first, the message didn't go through. Walker tried to find the information on his own but came up with nothing.</p>
<p>Finally, he got a reply.</p>
<p>"This was just a sample of the first volume. It will go on sell tomorrow."</p>
<p>Walker just had to have more. So here they were at the bookstore in south Ikebukuro. Erika wasn't looking so convinced.</p>
<p>"What's this manga called again?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I don't remember off the top of my head," Walker said as they walked down the manga aisle.</p>
<p>"Are you sure it even exists?" Erika asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he insisted. "I will know it when I see the cover." He took out his phone and opened the picture file he had saved.</p>
<p>"This one," Walker said. Erika leaned in for a look. The cover was of a woman looking like a succubus surrounded by black ink. The woman had her forked tongue sticking out. A snake looked coiled around her pale curved body. Were those wings coming out of her back? Erika found herself drawn in and crept out.</p>
<p>"Where did you find this?" she asked.</p>
<p>"It wasn't sent to me in DM's," he said. Walker kept looked the whole time as he talked. "The manga looked really good from those first three pages that I saw." Erika wanted to believe him. Walker wouldn't stop talking about it all morning.</p>
<p>"I would like to see this manga too," she said.</p>
<p>"Sweet!" Walker said. So, here they were at the bookstore. Erika would be lying if she said she wasn't interested.</p>
<p>"There!" Walker shouted. Erika lifted her head. He stood by the manga that he wanted so dearly with a grin.</p>
<p>"It's the last one too," Walker said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Therapy Session: "Mimiko"-</p>
<p>Aya hit record on her tape player.</p>
<p>A woman about thirty-five sat on the couch with a focused smile on her face. She feels like she's ready to scream—again.</p>
<p>Aya took her seat in front of the woman.</p>
<p>"Good morning, [name redacted]," Aya said. The woman nodded at her.</p>
<p>"How are you this morning?"</p>
<p>"Good! I got promote last week."</p>
<p>"That's good."</p>
<p>The woman rubbed the back of her head. "Is it, though?"</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"I have more responsibilities to a job that I never wanted. My male coworkers still won't take me seriously. I'm still single. And I just…" She gritted her teeth.</p>
<p>"Grrr! I just… I just…"</p>
<p>"Please keep your voice down."</p>
<p>The woman took a breath. "I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"Take you time if you need to."</p>
<p>"Mimiko" sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I want to quit so badly but my parents won't let me hear the end of it."</p>
<p>"Tell me something."</p>
<p>The woman looked. "Hm?"</p>
<p>"Have you felt the itch again?"</p>
<p>"A little bit."</p>
<p>"What do you think triggers it?"</p>
<p>The woman took a moment to think about it. "I still can't figure it out."</p>
<p>"I see…" Aya reached over and turned off the tape recorder.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Erika and Walker-</p>
<p>How could he be so calm after what happened? Did he even remember what he did?</p>
<p>"Yumacchi," Erika spoke up. Walker shoved more food into his mouth.</p>
<p>"Hm?" he asked.</p>
<p>"What happened to you back there?" she asked. Walker just shrugged. He chewed on the rice. Erika frowned. She didn't know if she should keep bringing up this topic or not.</p>
<p>But then something else caught her attention.</p>
<p>"Eww! What is that on your hand?" Erika asked. Walker paused.</p>
<p>"Hm?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Here," she said. Erika picked up a napkin and wiped off the purplish-looking sludge off of his hand. Walker looked down.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked as if coming out of trance. "Oh." Erika finished wiping down his hand.</p>
<p>"There," she said.</p>
<p>"What was that stuff?" Walker asked. Erika looked at the napkin.</p>
<p>"I have no idea," she said. "You didn't notice that on your hand?"</p>
<p>"No," he said. Erika made a face.</p>
<p>"I must have got that from…" Walker said. But then he trailed off. His mind went back to what happened three hours earlier.</p>
<p>-Three Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>Walker reached out for the manga but then another hand grabbed onto the manga. The otaku man turned his head. Another otaku stood in front of the manga. He grabbed onto the other side. The bigger man was breathing heavier.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Walker said. "But I saw this first."</p>
<p>"No," the fat otaku said. "Mine." The two men wouldn't let go.</p>
<p>"You must be mistaken," Walker said. "I saw this first. This is mine."</p>
<p>"It doesn't have your name on it!" the other otaku said. Walker started smiling.</p>
<p>"Oh, you've made a big mistake," he said. Erika had been watching the whole time. She had a gut feeling about what was about to go down.</p>
<p>"Listen Yumacchi," Erika said, grabbing onto his arm. "You could find this manga online." Walker pushed her off.</p>
<p>"Stay of this Erika!" he barked. She fell back against the manga stall.</p>
<p>"Yumacchi!" the fujoshi shouted. He ignored her and tried to pull out the manga from the fat otaku's hand.</p>
<p>"Let go!" he yelled.</p>
<p>"No!" Walker snapped. He lunged forward headbutted him in the chest. The fat otaku let out a mouthful of air as he fell backwards. Walker wouldn't let up. It didn't take long for him to start wailing on the guy. The fat otaku tried to shield himself for the blows. He started crying as Walker kicked him.</p>
<p>"Stop it! Stop it! Please!" the fat otaku pleaded. Tears and snort ran down his face. Walker's kicking and punching grew worse. The otaku looked like he was… smiling. Walker even started to laugh. This man was out for blood.</p>
<p>It took Erika and a security guard to pull the young man off.</p>
<p>"Yumacchi!" she screamed. "Stop it!" Her voice alone was enough to calm him down. Walker let go of the beaten man. The poor bloodied otaku scrambled to his feet and raced out of the store.</p>
<p>"Keep it, man!" he shouted. "It's not worth my life! You're insane!" Walker stood silent as Erika and the security guard held him back. The rest of the shopping trip disappeared into a blur.</p>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>Walker looked down at his half-eaten rice omurice.</p>
<p>"You think he'll be okay?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know," Erika admitted. Her fellow otaku stared at his plate. Suddenly, his food didn't look so appetizing.</p>
<p>"It was really bad, was it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Erika said. "What came over you there, Yumacchi?" He shrugged and shook his head.</p>
<p>"I don't know what came over me," Walker admitted. The spine of his beloved manga stuck out from his bag.</p>
<p>"Is everything okay?" a maid asked. The pair looked up.</p>
<p>"Yes," Erika lied.</p>
<p>"Do you need anything?" the waitress asked.</p>
<p>"No," the otaku said.</p>
<p>"Okay," the maid said. She bowed and walked away. Walker turned back to Erika.</p>
<p>"What happens now?" he asked in a whisper.</p>
<p>"I don't know," his female otaku said. The pair sat at their table silent.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Sota-</p>
<p>He still wouldn't give up. Anzu walked away from him without turning around. She frowned and rolled her eyes. The other tadpole pouted at her on his scooter.</p>
<p>"Come on!" Sota pleaded. She glanced out of the corner of her eye. Anzu clicked her tongue.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" she asked. Sota shrugged.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. Anzu groaned and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Nope," Sota said. "I just thought you looked lonely. I mean, I don't have many people friends who are like me. From the looks of it, neither do you." Anzu didn't turn around.</p>
<p>"You're wrong," she said. "I am not lonely."</p>
<p>"You mean that girl who's with you?" Sota asked. "She's not like us. Does she even know <em>our</em> secret?" The other tadpole stopped in her tracks and turned around. A puzzled look came over lovely face.</p>
<p>"What?" Sota asked.</p>
<p>"Where's your girlfriend?" Anzu asked. He made a face at her.</p>
<p>"What girlfriend?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You know," she said. "That girl who's always with you. Long black hair, black glasses, and mousy girl." It took him a moment to get what she was saying.</p>
<p>"Shizue?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Anzu said. Sota frowned.</p>
<p>"She's not my girlfriend," he said.</p>
<p>"But…" she said. He shook his head.</p>
<p>"No," Sota said. "She's my project." He could already predict what was going to come out of her mouth. The male tadpole sighed.</p>
<p>"She was planning to kill herself," Sota admitted in a low voice. "I heard her thoughts. So I followed her and I have been keeping her from dying ever since." He noticed the disapproving look on her face.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't have been eavesdropping," Anzu said.</p>
<p>"It' not my fault that I heard her thoughts," Sota complained. "You know that." He leaned forward on the handlebars.</p>
<p>"Besides, I'm trying to do a good thing here," he said. "I thought you believed that life is precious and all that."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but-" Anzu said. She froze as a jolt ran up her spine. Sota sat up straight too.</p>
<p>"You felt it to?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," she said. They turned around to see someone who looked like a girl in a school uniform staring back at them. They had their long brown hair up into a ponytail. They looked just as alert as they were.</p>
<p>"Are you guys…?" they began to ask. Sota had a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"Wait, you're a dude?" he asked. The girlish-looking boy cocked his head.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. Anzu took a step forward.</p>
<p>"Were you in Chou Mori with us?" she asked. The boy tadpole had a serious look on his face.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said in a low voice.</p>
<p>"What is your name?" Sota asked.</p>
<p>"Yukari," the other boy said. "Chiba Yukari."</p>
<p>"I'm Anzu," Anzu said. "This is Sota."</p>
<p>"Yo!" Sota said with a wave.</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you," Yukari said, bowing. "I wish it could be under better circumstances." Sota gave him an odd look.</p>
<p>"What are you doing out here?" he asked. "Were you looking for others like us?"</p>
<p>"Not really, to be honest," Yukari said. He paused for a moment as if digging in his brain to come up with the right way to explain this. He folded his arms across his chest.</p>
<p>"I am looking for a monster," he said in a matter of fact tone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Drag. Drag. Drag. Drag.</p>
<p>He looked up at Rampo Biotech. This place was going to set him free. His stomach grumbled. He placed his hand and frowned. He had to push himself to keep going.</p>
<p>Drag. Drag. Drag. Drag.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Osamu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Seven: Osamu:</p>
<p>-Osamu-</p>
<p>I never really had a future. I thought I would be doomed to end up in prison like aniki. The old man bailed on the family. The old lady didn't give a shit. So, yeah. I thought that it was what it was. Care to guess what changed that? You guessed it. Kitano-sensei.</p>
<p>Why am I following him? Why am I going along with this crazy game? I don't really believe any of this. So why do I stay?</p>
<p>He doesn't see me as trash. Kitano-sensei doesn't baby me either. He actually treats me like a person. He's the one who stopped me in a way. I owe him nothing but I have to see who this man is.</p>
<p>I looked over at Daichi. He looked over the new batch of flowers. This guy creeps me out at times. He may look pretty and all. But this guy is twisted in his own way. Who knew that he could be sadistic when he can be?</p>
<p>Daichi looked up at me.</p>
<p>"Something wrong?" he asked. I shook my head.</p>
<p>"Nothing," I said. "Nothing at all."</p>
<p>"Hm," was all Daichi said. He went back to work. I did the same. I could never understand what he was thinking.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Yukari-</p>
<p>Sota and Anzu stared at him.</p>
<p>"What kind of monster?" Anzu asked. Yukari had a serious look on his face.</p>
<p>"It's kind of hard to explain," he said.</p>
<p>"Try us," Sota said. Yukari shoved his hands into his pockets.</p>
<p>"I smelt something strange in the air from the past few days," he said. "Not like an odor. More like… More like…"</p>
<p>"Rubber and something sickening sweet?" Sota asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Yukari said.</p>
<p>"You know, I've smelt it too," Anzu said. The girly tadpole narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"Were you following the monster too?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Sort of," Sota said. "I was trying to track the smell when I ran into her." Anzu gave him the side-eye.</p>
<p>"What do you plan to do with this monster?" she asked. Yukari kind of shrugged.</p>
<p>"I haven't figured that part out yet," he said. But then he paused.</p>
<p>"It's so strange," the tadpole said. "It feels like I've done this before. All of it. The chase, meeting you, the monster itself. Am I sounding crazy?"</p>
<p>"No," Anzu said. "I'm starting to remember it too."</p>
<p>"Hm," Sota said. The other two turned to him. He kind of shrugged.</p>
<p>"I just don't remember this," he said. Yukari was about to ask why when he turned around.</p>
<p>"Oh," he said. Anzu and Sota looked up. They spotted a man dressed like a waiter dragging his feet on the other side of the street. A rash of red bumps covered his skin. Small drops of red followed behind. The man groaned as he moved.</p>
<p>"Is that…?" Sota began to ask.</p>
<p>"Yes," Yukari said, nodding. Suddenly, the rash-covered man stopped in his tracks. The three tadpoles froze and waited. Their target slowly turned his head. Anzu reached for her bamboo sword.</p>
<p>"Hold it," Sota held out his arm. The man turned away and started walking again. Yukari felt a chill ran up his spine. He took off running after the dragging man.</p>
<p>"Yukari!" Anzu yelled. She took off after the girlish boy.</p>
<p>"Hey! Wait up!" Sota shouted. He started up his scooter and ripped after the other two tadpoles.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Six Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>That same man dragged himself up to the doors of Rampo Biotech. His lower jaw ached as the rash started to ooze puss and blood. He wiped away his mouth, leaving little droplets on the ground. The substances hardened under the sun.</p>
<p>The man looked at the glass doors. Anything to get rid of the pain.</p>
<p>One step forward and the doors slid open.</p>
<p>Drag. Drag. Drag. Drag.</p>
<p>The poor receptionist gasped when she said the bloody puss-filled rash around the pale man's mouth. He dragged himself to the front desk. The man tried to mumble his request. The receptionist blinked.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked. The man tried to open his mouth.</p>
<p>"Lab… 528!" he managed to moan out. The receptionist blinked at first. Blood and puss dripped on her desk.</p>
<p>"Lab 528?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes!" he moaned with a rattle in his throat. The receptionist pointed to the elevator.</p>
<p>"T-T-T-That way!" she shouted. The man forced open his jaw. More blood and puss flew out. A little bit landed on the poor receptionist's face. She fought back the urge to scream.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he said, bowing. The man turned and walked to the elevators. The receptionist winced as the doors slid closed.</p>
<p>-Osamu-</p>
<p>I looked up when I heard the call box buzzer.</p>
<p>"Ah, our next client is here," Daichi spoke up. We watched as the door slid open. A man dressed like a fancy waiter dragged himself into the lab. He left trails of blood and gross fluids in his wake. Now I am used to horrible smells. But this…</p>
<p>I took a step back as I took a deep breath in my mask.</p>
<p>"Welcome!" Daichi spoke up. He always knew how to do these things. I followed his lead and bowed. Our client tried to speak through his crusted over mouth.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?" Daichi asked. The decaying dude reached into his vest and pulled out a small brown and silver flask.</p>
<p>"It won't let me eat!" he managed to wail. He tried to shake the flask free but it wouldn't leave. Someone could've mistaken it as glued to his hand. I pulled out the bottle of pills and twisted it open. I walked over with the second pill in hand.</p>
<p>"Here," I said. I slipped the pill into the crack of his lips. His body went stiff as the flask fell out of his hand. Daichi managed to catch the flask in a plastic bag before it hit the floor.</p>
<p>"Better?" I asked. Our client could fully open his mouth.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said. "And hungry. Really hungry." I took a step back. He took a bow.</p>
<p>"Thank you," our client said. He wasn't dragging his feet as much. Still left a mess though. Good thing we have suits on. Kitano will want to look at that fluid and want to use it later.</p>
<p>"Let's collect up the sticky fluids for samples later," I said. I could tell that Daichi was grinning at me.</p>
<p>"I had the same thought," he said.</p>
<p>"I'll go get my kit," I said, grinning under my mask.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>"I'm going to stay at your place tonight," Erika said. Walker turned to her.</p>
<p>"Oh no, I'm fine, Erika," he said. His fellow otaku shook her head.</p>
<p>"I do not trust you to do anything else," she said. He gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"I thought this didn't bother you," he said.</p>
<p>"Yeah. But this isn't right. Haven't you noticed anything off?"</p>
<p>Walker stopped in his tracks and took a moment to think. "A little bit." His fellow otaku frowned. She had the feeling that he wasn't fully grasping the gravity of the situation. But then, the fujoshi paused.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Walker asked.</p>
<p>"How long has he been staring at us?" Erika asked, pointing behind him.</p>
<p>"Huh?" her fellow otaku asked. He turned his head. The man dressed as a fancy waiter stood inches away from them. The area of his mouth looked dried out with the rash. He broke into a huge nightmarish grin.</p>
<p>"Found you!" he shouted. The otaku pair had a strange sense of Deja vu. But then, the man turned and looked over his shoulder. Yukari, Anzu, and Sota hurried over to him. He clapped his hands together.</p>
<p>"Perfect!" he cheered. "You all are here!" Walker raised his eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Uh… who are you?" he asked. The man frowned as he pouted.</p>
<p>"Aw, you don't remember me?" he asked. He sighed and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Oh well," the man said. "Looks like I'm going to have to reintroduce myself." He took a bow.</p>
<p>"My name is Okui," he said. "A pleasure to meet you." Walker stepped forward on an impulse.</p>
<p>"I'm Walker," he said. "This is Erika." To Erika, this all started to look familiar. Something told her what was coming next. Okui held up his hand.</p>
<p>"Hang on, Erika-san," he said. "We're not done here." The man turned to the three tadpoles staring at him.</p>
<p>"Come over here," he said. "Don't worry. I'm not going to try and eat you. I promise." Yukari wrinkled his nose.</p>
<p>"Why should we?" he asked.</p>
<p>"It's only proper since you followed me here," Okui said. Anzu took a step forward.</p>
<p>"I am Anzu," she said.</p>
<p>"Sota," Sota said on his scooter. Yukari groaned and threw back his head.</p>
<p>"Fine! I'm Yukari!" he groaned. "I don't see the point in this again. You just want to us all over again!" Walker's eyes opened fully.</p>
<p>"Like an anime boss battle?!" he asked. The gross man chuckled.</p>
<p>"Guilty," he said. Okui bowed with grace.</p>
<p>"I am Okui of gluttony! And I challenge all five of you to a duel!" he said. Anzu gave him an odd look.</p>
<p>"Right now?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Well, not right now," Okui said. "I'm giving you a bit of a head start. This battleground is less than ideal for me. Here, I will give you the exact place and you can find me there." The man pulled out his phone and typed away on the keys. The quintet didn't move. Somebody had to say something. Surely, someone should.</p>
<p>Suddenly, their phones buzzed. The otaku pair and the tadpole trio pulled them out. From there, more memories of this battle resurfaced. By the time they looked up, Okui was gone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Osamu-</p>
<p>I may not believe in this game we play but I keep playing because I want to see what happens next.</p>
<p>"So who do you think is gonna win?" I asked Daichi as we walked down the hall. He turned to me and shrugged. Daichi wasn't much of a gambling man. Didn't matter to me. Things are just about to get interesting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Okui</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Eight: Okui:</p>
<p>"Thank you, gentlemen," Kitano said. He held out the fancy brown and silver flask in the plastic bag in front of his face.</p>
<p>"He didn't leave too much of a mess, did he?" the therapist asked.</p>
<p>"A little bit," Osamu said. "We got cleaned it up though."</p>
<p>"We collected a sample for later," Daichi added.</p>
<p>"Good, good," Kitano said. He walked over to his altar and opened the bag. The flask landed on its rightful spot. The table started to shake for twenty seconds before going still. The therapist smirked.</p>
<p>"Five more to go," he said.</p>
<p>"We're heading back to work now," Daichi said.</p>
<p>"Alright," Kitano said. The younger men bowed and walked out of his office. The therapist pulled out his phone.</p>
<p>"Is she ready to make the next kill?" he asked. The therapist took a listen. "Good. We can begin."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Walker, Erika, and the three tadpoles got the coordinates in text.</p>
<p>"What is this?" Walker asked.</p>
<p>"These are coordinates to where we are supposed to fight," Anzu said. The otaku looked up at her.</p>
<p>"I don't really know the exact place it is," she said.</p>
<p>"We have to go then!" Walker was quick to say.</p>
<p>"Wait!" Sota shouted with his hands up. Everyone turned their heads.</p>
<p>"Wait," he said again. "What all can we do?" He turned to Yukari. The girly tadpole looked up.</p>
<p>"I can see people's dreams," he said. "I read them too."</p>
<p>"You?" Sota asked Anzu. The other tadpole stood up straight.</p>
<p>"I can make weapons out of my blood," she said. "Look." Anzu reached into her black shoulder bag. She pulled out a knife and held out her left air.</p>
<p>"That's okay," Sota said, grabbing her wrist. "We got it."</p>
<p>"Aw, I wanted to see her do it!" Erika said with a pout.</p>
<p>"I wanted to see it too!" Walker shouted.</p>
<p>"Maybe later," Sota said. "It would be better to use that as a last resort."</p>
<p>"What can you do?" Yukari asked. Sota swung around to Erika and Walker.</p>
<p>"Could one of you punch me in the face?" he asked. Anzu tilted her head.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" he asked. Sota put up his hand.</p>
<p>"Anzu, please," he said. Erika and Walker looked at each other. They shrugged.</p>
<p>"I'll do it," Walker said. He walked over and punched Sota in the jaw. The tadpole smiled the whole time. The otaku fell back to the ground on his ass.</p>
<p>"Yumacchi!" Erika shouted. Walker rubbed his jaw looking confused.</p>
<p>"Uh… what just happened?" he asked. Sota stood over him, grinning.</p>
<p>"Anyone who tries to beat me up will have the pain go back on them," he bragged.</p>
<p>"Whoa!" Walker said.</p>
<p>"What do you guys have?" Sota asked. "Weapons-wise, I mean?" Erika and Walker grinned as they showed him their impromptu arsenal. Yukari whistled.</p>
<p>"Dude!" he said. Erika and Walker snickered. Sota clapped his hands together.</p>
<p>"Okay," he said. "Looks like we are all set." The boy turned towards the direction they needed to go.</p>
<p>"Let's get this over with," Sota said. He hopped onto his scooter and rode off. The other four followed behind. What else could they do- again?</p>
<hr/>
<p>-"Mimiko"-</p>
<p>"I love violence." She took in a deep breath. Her body shivered. "I don't know what it is. But something thrills me about it. I… I almost, no, I do get off on it."</p>
<p>
  <em>Have you masturbated to the thought of violence before?</em>
</p>
<p>She shook her head. "I have never tried. Whenever I have sexual thoughts, I hear that bitch's voice in the back of my head." She shudders at the thought.</p>
<p>
  <em>How have you been lately?</em>
</p>
<p>She sighed. "Not much. The come down is the worst. I'm antsy. It makes me want to go out and attack someone again."</p>
<p>
  <em>Remember why you're here.</em>
</p>
<p>She took in another breath. "Yeah, yeah. Let me ask you something."</p>
<p>
  <em>Hm?</em>
</p>
<p>She shifted into place. "Is this supposed to cure me or something?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Do you want to get better?</em>
</p>
<p>She shook her head. "No."</p>
<p>
  <em>Then what do you want personally?</em>
</p>
<p>She leaned forward on the couch. "Freedom."</p>
<p>The tape stops at this point.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The group followed the coordinates on their phones.</p>
<p>"It's up here," Erika said. Everybody sped up. They reached their final destination. The tadpoles had confused looks on their faces.</p>
<p>"A tunnel?" Anzu asked. Walker scratched his head.</p>
<p>"Has this always been here?" he asked. Yukari started walking forward as if in a daze.</p>
<p>"Wait!" Anzu shouted. Erika and Walker followed behind. Same with Sota.</p>
<p>"You guys!" the blood tadpole said. "Come on!" She dropped her shoulders and followed behind. What choice did she have after all? Chills ran down her arm as she started walking.</p>
<p>"How is everyone's phones?" Erika asked. "I have ninety-four percent of battery left."</p>
<p>"Ninety-seven percent," Anzu said.</p>
<p>"Eight-five," Walker said.</p>
<p>"Ninety-two," Yukari said.</p>
<p>"Seventy-eight," Sota said. Erika took a breath.</p>
<p>"Right," she said. The five of them walked in silence with phones and weapons at their sides.</p>
<p>"I think this tunnel splits off into two directions," Yukari said. "What do we do then?"</p>
<p>"Split off, I guess," Sota said.</p>
<p>"Are you crazy? No!" Anzu said. "That's how people get picked off in horror movies." The boys turned their heads. The blood tadpole shrugged.</p>
<p>"Not that I would know," she said under her breath. Walker stopped in his tracks. Erika turned her head.</p>
<p>"What is it Yumacchi?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Shhh," he whispered. "Did you hear that?" Everyone took a listen.</p>
<p>Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.</p>
<p>Anzu froze when she heard a raspy laugh. She whipped around, whipping out her bamboo sword.</p>
<p>"Gah!" she shouted. Okui stood, grinning like a hungry cat.</p>
<p>"Found you!" he said. Everyone jumped into the attack. Their opponent clapped his puss and blood-covered hands.</p>
<p>"Yay!" he said. "Now we can begin!"</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Purgatory-</p>
<p>"It's just as I thought," Vanessa said. She and Miiko stared at the computer screen.</p>
<p>"Now what?" Miiko asked. The manager took a step back and frowned.</p>
<p>"This is worse than I thought," she said. Vanessa took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"We are really going to have to up the game," she said. "Hang on." She walked over to her desk and picked up the phone.</p>
<p>"Sensei," Vanessa said. "Do you have the weapon ready?" There came a pause on the phone. Vanessa listened with a frown.</p>
<p>"Things have become urgent," she said. "We have to act now." There came another pause. Vanessa took a breath.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. "We will get it to them right now." The manager hung up the phone. Miiko stared at her with big eyes.</p>
<p>"How are we going to get the weapon to them in time?" she asked. "The fight is already about to start in the tunnels." Vanessa lowered the phone by her side.</p>
<p>"I have a way," she said.</p>
<p>Okui waved his hand in the air. Grey waves of air covered the tunnel walls. Erika and Walker winced at the high-pitched whistle around them. The tadpoles didn't break their gaze.</p>
<p>"There," the tall man said. "Now we can fight with no distractions." He broke into a huge grin. "We've got one hour to fight. We can only use weapons. Our duel will end when either of us wins or time runs out." The man in his dirty waiter suit took a bow.</p>
<p>"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Okui, deity of gluttony!" he said. "A pleasure to meet you—again." What was with this guy? Okui looked up as a little bit of blood trickled from his mouth.</p>
<p>"I will give you all three questions to ask before we fight," he said. Sota got off of his scooter.</p>
<p>"Why are you here?" he asked. Okui chuckled.</p>
<p>"The End of Days is coming," he said. "You'll know when you see it. Next question."</p>
<p>"How many more of you are there?" Yukari asked.</p>
<p>"Seven in total," Okui said. "Sister Yokubo is already here. The other five will be coming shortly. I don't know who their targets will be. Final question."</p>
<p>"We can go all out for this fight, can we?" Walker asked. Okui's teeth turned razor-sharp as he grinned.</p>
<p>"Why yes!" he said. The man reached his hands above his head. Okui grinned as he drew out two long swords.</p>
<p>"Time to fight!" he shouted. The giant man rushed forward with a beast-like roar. The party all dodged. Walker pulled out his lighter and hairspray.</p>
<p>"Eat this!" he shouted. Okui turned his head. Walker pressed down the cap and lit up.</p>
<p>"Hey!" the tadpoles yelled as they dove out of the way. Okui's jaw came down to his feet. The flames all disappeared into his mouth. Anzu cringed at the sight. Walker wouldn't let up with spraying the big man. Drips of blood and puss landed on the ground. Neither side was going to let up.</p>
<p>"Yumacchi, I don't think that's working!" Erika shouted. Her fellow otaku didn't seem to hear her. It didn't take long for him to run out of spray. Okui closed his mouth. Smoke came out of his nostrils as he grinned.</p>
<p>"Got any more flames?" he asked. Walker reached into his backpack.</p>
<p>Zap!</p>
<p>Okui whipped his head around. Erika had her stun gun to his stomach. The man laughed to himself. He used his elbow to knock her to the ground.</p>
<p>"Erika!" Walker shouted as she fell back onto the ground. Erika clenched her teeth as she landed. She looked up to see Okui smirking at her.</p>
<p>"That was a good attempt," he said. "I will give you that." Anzu ran forward with her bamboo sword. She let out a loud battle cry. The deity snickered.</p>
<p>Chop!</p>
<p>The tip of Anzu's sword fell to the ground with a dull thud. Sota turned his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>The fuck you do that for?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I just acted on impulse. I'm sorry.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Now what?</em>
</p>
<p>Sota shrugged. <em>I don't know!</em> He looked up in time to see Okui charging towards Walker. The pain transfer tadpole ran in the way seconds before impact. The deity had a long cut going downwards across his chest. Dark red blood oozed from the cut. Okui grinned wildly.</p>
<p>"Not bad," he said. "We're getting somewhere! Much better than last time!" The deity charged again.</p>
<p>"If you're going to do something, act fast!" Sota shouted.</p>
<p>"Right!" Walker shouted. He pulled out another spray bottle.</p>
<p>"That's not going to work!" Sota yelled.</p>
<p>"I know," Walker said. Okui raised his eyebrow. The otaku smirked and lit up. Another wave of fire shot out towards his opponent. The deity opened his huge jaw. Sota happened to catch a glance behind him. Anzu held out her arm with a knife in her hand. She made a deep cut from wrist to middle of forearm. The tadpole reached into the cut and pulled out a large blood-covered blade. She panted as drops of blood hit the ground. They turned into little knives.</p>
<p>"Sweet!" Erika said. She grabbed two of them off the ground. Yukari picked two more knives too. Anzu raised her sword above her head. She let out a loud scream. Okui turned his head. The blade came down upon his head. Erika and Yukari stabbed him in the stomach. Walker added more fire to Okui's back. Sota looked around. He stopped more knives on the ground. The pain transfer tadpole picked them up and ran forward. His blades went into the deity's side. All five of them were swings and stabbing. Okui broke into laughter.</p>
<p>"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he shouted. "This is what I am talking about!" It didn't take long for Walker's fire to die out. He was about to reach in for another can when something poked him in the back. Walker turned his head.</p>
<p>"Hm?" he asked. Something long and large was coming out of the air. It looked like a large Louisville Slugger bat. Walker's eyes opened wide as spikes began to all over it.</p>
<p>"Whoa!" he shouted. Walker grabbed onto the handle. Anzu panted as she looked up. Erika stole a glance at her follow otaku looking at his new weapon.</p>
<p>"When did you get a bat, Yumacchi?" she asked. The deity of gluttony turned his head.</p>
<p>"Eat this!" Walker yelled.</p>
<p>Wham!</p>
<p>The spike made contact with Okui's face. Blood and puss splattered everywhere. Walker yanked back the bat. He took a step back and laughed.</p>
<p>"How is that?" he asked aloud. Everyone else drew back. Okui reached up and felt along the holes in his face. More blood and puss dribbled down his cheek and chin. Walker could see the teeth through the holes as Okui grinned.</p>
<p>"Not bad," he said. Walker took another swing at him. This time, Okui bent backward.</p>
<p>Whoosh!</p>
<p>Walker took another swing. Sota felt the knives crumbling in his hands. Blood streaked his fingers. He winced as he tried to wipe off the blood.</p>
<p>"Yuck," he mumbled to himself. Yukari seemed to have the same problem as well. Same with Erika. Anzu's blade was starting to crack and crumble. Just by looking into her eyes, Sota could tell what was on her mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don't!</em>
</p>
<p>Anzu lifted her head. <em>But…</em></p>
<p><em>I don't want you to lose too much blood. Hold back some, would ya?</em> He saw her frowning as she put away her knife.</p>
<p>
  <em>Thank you.</em>
</p>
<p>Walker took another swing with his bat.</p>
<p>Wham!</p>
<p>He managed to give the deity another blow to the head. This time, he managed to pull away some of the scalp. A cold smirk came across Walker's face.</p>
<p>"I hadn't had this much fun since I was in the Blue Squares!" he shouted. A little bit worrying but Okui did give them permission to go all out. Erika whipped out her stun gun again to aid in the final blow. The otaku pair let out a battle cry.</p>
<p>Wham!</p>
<p>Okui grinned with missing teeth as he fell back to the ground. The shield around the tunnel shook as a result. Walker, Erika, Yukari, Sota, and Anzu walked over for a closer look.</p>
<p>"Is he… dead?" Yukari asked.</p>
<p>"I don't think so," Anzu said. Walker poked Okui with the handle end of his bat. The deity stuck up his right hand in a V-sign.</p>
<p>"You won," Okui managed to say. "Well done. Well done!" He leapt to his feet and saluted. His wounds were already starting to heal. Okui clapped and cheered aloud.</p>
<p>"Yay! Yay!" he cheered. His opponents had confused looks on their faces. The deity took a bow.</p>
<p>"Good night all," he said. Okui vanished into thin air. The group just stood there in silence.</p>
<p>"What was the point of that?!" Sota asked. No one had an answer.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next victim was found sitting up in her kitchen. She was heavyset woman in her late twenties. In fact, she was a body-positive icon on YouTube. Vomit and saliva were dried around her mouth. Her eyes looked clouded over. She only had on a bright pink lacy apron. The set-up around her was even weirder.</p>
<p>Her table was covered in little cakes. These didn't look cheap either. They had to come from the high-quality bakeries around Tokyo. A bottle of red wine sat by the body with a filled glass. Same with a small bouquet of dried red roses. The light bulbs had been removed from the kitchen. The detective took pictures of the scene.</p>
<p>"No sign of forced entry," his partner said.</p>
<p>"So the victim might have known her killer?" the detective asked.</p>
<p>"Seems that way," his partner said. The detective frowned. Four bodies and one attempted murder. None of the victims had anything in common. A yakuza wife, a sex worker, and a YouTuber. Why these women? Why was this person or these people doing all of this? The detective rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"This just keeps going from bad to worse," he muttered to himself.</p>
<p>"And if we don't solve this case, it could go from worse to where," his partner said. The detective gave him a strange look as he wrinkled his nose.</p>
<p>"Seriously?" he asked. His partner just shrugged. The detective sighed and rubbed his forehead.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-3:00 a.m.-</p>
<p>Walker was awoken out of bed when he heard a knock on his door. He tried to ignore it at first but the knocking wouldn't stop. The otaku mumbled to himself as he pulled himself out of bed. He rubbed his eyes as he opened the door.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" Walker mumbled. He paused once he fully woke up. Two police officers stood at his door.</p>
<p>"Oh…" he muttered.</p>
<p>"Yumasaki Walker, we have a warrant for your arrest," one of the cops said. Walker didn't even put up a fight as he put the handcuffs on his wrists.</p>
<p>"What for?" he asked. The otaku didn't know why he didn't even try to fight off the cops.</p>
<p>"Assault and attempted murder," the cop said. "Your victim in the bookstore is pressing charges." Somehow, Walker wasn't surprised by this. Oh yeah, this did happen before, didn't it?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Shinra</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>III: Greed</p>
<p>Halo Nine: Shinra:</p>
<p>-Shinra-</p>
<p>My body laid there in front of my apartment with four bullet holes in the back. I know what you are thinking. How the hell did I get here?</p>
<p>Well, I'm going to tell you.</p>
<p>-Twelve Hours Ago-</p>
<p>Celty and I started with a typical morning. (Typical doesn't really exist anymore, does it?) My love went out to work for the day.</p>
<p>"Take care," I said.</p>
<p>[I'm leaving now,] she typed. My love left for the day. Things started to get weirder from there.</p>
<p>There came a knock on the door.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Sensei!" Mikado shouted. "I need your help." I sighed to myself. I didn't expect to be working already. I turned and walked to the front door. Mikado stood outside.</p>
<p>"Is Celty here?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No," I said. He breathed out in relief.</p>
<p>"Oh good," Mikado said. I looked him up and down.</p>
<p>"What's wrong? What's on your mind?" I asked. Mikado held up his right arm. The skin looked so raw and scratched up. I could see the blood coming up from the broken skin.</p>
<p>"What happened there?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I got bitten by a deity," he said. "And now it looks like this."</p>
<p>"Does it hurt?"</p>
<p>"No. But it itches." Mikado started scratching his wrist again. I grabbed his wrist. A warm surge ran through my body.</p>
<p>"Okay, I get it," I said. "Come inside." He followed me into the apartment. Now, I don't run the experiments on the tadpoles. That's not my field. I just assist my dad and Emilia. I looked at Mikado's wrist when I sat him down.</p>
<p>"How long has it been like this?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Two days now," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Two days?" I asked. He might as well have taken a grater to his skin. I wanted to say this was an allergic reaction at first.</p>
<p>"No, it's not that," Mikado spoke up. "I think she infected me with something." I must have looked so confused. He rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"I don't know how to explain it," Mikado added. "It's just—"</p>
<p>"You want my dad to run a test on it, right?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Yes!" he was quick to say. I shrugged my shoulders.</p>
<p>"Alright," I said. "Wait here." I walked out of the living room and came back with the kit dad issued me with. One blood drawing later and I had what I needed. Mikado didn't even react when the needle went in.</p>
<p>"Now what?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Well," I asked. "I will run the test and get the results to you ASAP. For now…" I led him over to the kitchen sink. I washed and wrapped up Mikado's wrist with a bandage.</p>
<p>"Please don't try to scratch it," I said. "I know you can't feel pain anymore, but still."</p>
<p>"Alright," Mikado said. "Thank you for this." He bowed and walked out of the apartment. I thought I was going to have a quiet day after that.</p>
<p>I couldn't have been more mistaken.</p>
<hr/>
<p>For the rest of the day, I could only think about my Celty. I mean, I usually do. But today, I kept getting lost in my daydreams about her. I kept messing up my chores because of it. The curtain nearly got sucked into the vacuum cleaner. I can't tell you how many calls I missed. Shiki-san must be wondering where I am right now. I kept texting Celty every five seconds. Celty! My mind started to go back to last night. It had been one of those rare nights in. Celty and I stayed up to watch a horror movie. I don't remember what it was called at the moment. I don't think describing the ghost woman would help either.</p>
<p>I digress.</p>
<p>My hands inched closer to hers. She didn't respond at first. I inched my hand closer. I started to move in closer as well. I chuckled to myself as I leaned in to kiss her. Celty pushed me off. I pouted at her.</p>
<p>"Celty!" I whimpered.</p>
<p>[What are you doing?!] she typed at me. I looked like a hurt little puppy. I rested by head on her shoulder.</p>
<p>"Aw, Celty!" I wailed. I stared up at her. I could see her frowning at me. I tried to kiss her again. Celty smacked me off again. I sat back, pouting. I turned back to the movie. I couldn't help but wonder if she had let me kiss her.</p>
<p>I sighed with broom in my hand.</p>
<p>Hm? Was that the doorbell? Curious, I walked over to the front door.</p>
<p>"Hello?" I asked. There was no answer. The doorbell rang again. That should've put up red flags for me. I looked out the peep hole. Deep red eyes stared back at me. Right then, I should've waited until they were gone. I knew I should have. I know it was stupid and I don't understand why I did this now.</p>
<p>"Hello?" I asked, opening the door.</p>
<p>Bang!</p>
<hr/>
<p>-One Day Earlier-</p>
<p>A pale man walked up to Rampo Biotech. This was the place. Might as well get this over with. He walked up to the front door. The smell of disinfectant made his nose hairs curl. The man covered his nose and walked up to the front desk. The receptionist looked up at me.</p>
<p>"Can I help you, sir?" she asked. The man lowered his hand and smiled with such charm.</p>
<p>"Why yes," he said. "I am looking for Lab…" He tries to think as he snaps his fingers. "Oof. Where was it again?" The receptionist gave him a strange look.</p>
<p>"Lab 528?" she asked. The pale man perked up.</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah," he said. The receptionist pointed to the elevator.</p>
<p>"Go down to the elevator and go up to the fifth floor," she said. The man's thin lips curved into a smile.</p>
<p>"Why thank you, darling," he said. He bowed and walked away. But then, the man paused at the elevator doors.</p>
<p>"You might want to get that rash under your eye checked out," he said. He pushed the up button.</p>
<p>"Huh?" the receptionist asked as she felt around under her right eye. The man was already gone.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Daichi and Osamu were already at work with the new batch of flowers. The younger man looked up at the clock behind his partner.</p>
<p>"I think it's about time for our next guest," he said.</p>
<p>"Heh," Osamu said. Suddenly, the door buzzed.</p>
<p>"Ah, that's them now," Daichi said. He walked over and pressed the button. The door slid open. The pale man stood in the doorway. Daichi got a good look at him through his mask. The man came up to his own height at 5'8". His white shirt and black pants added some class to his appearance. The black suspenders and spiked collar around his neck added a contradiction. The man smirked.</p>
<p>"Welcome," Daichi said. "We have been expecting you." The man smiled at him.</p>
<p>"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. Daichi moved aside to let him in. Osamu watched as the pale man walked inside. He raised an eyebrow behind his mask. The man turned his attention to him.</p>
<p>"Is there something on my face?" he asked. Osamu shook his head.</p>
<p>"No, you just remind me of someone I know," he said.</p>
<p>"Do I?" the man asked. Osamu nodded once.</p>
<p>"Heh," the man said. Another thought crossed his mind. "Oh, you need to check on your receptionist down there. She's got some sort of a rash under her right eye."</p>
<p>"Ah yes, Okui-san made contact with her," Daichi said. "It was pretty bad from what I heard." The pale man thought about that for a moment and nodded.</p>
<p>"Yeah, that sounds like him," he said.</p>
<p>"Are you ready for your pill?" Osamu asked. The pale man stood up straighter.</p>
<p>"Why yes," he said. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an ornate brown leather wallet. He frowned at the silver edges.</p>
<p>"God damn this thing is heavy," the man said. "I have tried to throw it away but it keeps coming back."</p>
<p>"Let us help you with that," Daichi said.</p>
<p>"Right," the pale man said. Osamu popped open the cap. One pill dropped into his gloved hand. The pale man snatched it up with his free hand and took it. The pulsing sensation ran through his body. The wallet fell out of his hand. Osamu caught it with his gloves and slipped into the plastic bag. The pale man grinned.</p>
<p>"Thank you so much," he said. "And now I am off to find my target." The man bowed before turning to leave. Osamu gave him a small wave.</p>
<p>"Good luck, pal," was all he could say.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Shinra-</p>
<p>I looked down at my chest. Was that a…</p>
<p>The pale man with red eyes smirked at me. He only said one thing to me.</p>
<p>"Nothing personal kid, really."</p>
<p>Bang. Bang. Bang.</p>
<p>I fell to the ground at his feet. My blood spilled out everywhere. I could hear him smirking at me.</p>
<p>Bang. Bang.</p>
<p>The last two bullets were to finish the job. He didn't say a word after that. He just turned and walked away. He left me there to die.</p>
<p>And that's how I died.</p>
<p>But it didn't end there.</p>
<p>When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating around in the air. I looked around so confused. Huh? Wasn't I just shot?</p>
<p>I looked down at my chest. Four entrance wounds and two exit wounds. The front of my shirt was stained red. Yes, I was shot. Apparently, I'm dead now. My heart dropped. I didn't get to say goodbye to my Celty. I have to get back. I can't stay here. But… Where am I? Why am I here?</p>
<p>I looked down.</p>
<p>My body was lying there in front of the open door. My blood was still running out. By now, I saw Shiki running over to my body. Figures that he would come over. He doesn't like to be ignored. So of course he would come over and see why I wasn't answering.</p>
<p>"Oh shit!" I heard Shiki shout. He pulled out his phone. He surely isn't calling the police. Who then? My dad? Celty? I tried to float down but I was yanked away before I could listen.</p>
<p>They took my body away before sundown. I do not know where. Probably to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. Somehow, I was okay with this. Something told me that my body was going to be okay. My body felt lighter as I was floating away. I guess I'm going somewhere.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Yuck!</p>
<p>I covered my nose. Why does it smell like cheap sake here? My eyes started to water up. Where was I now? I looked forward and noticed that the walls, ceiling, and carpet were dark red. A white diamond chandelier hung from said ceiling. Vintage black and white photos hung from the wall. I felt compelled to walk up to the front desk up ahead. I couldn't explain it really. A girl who looked nineteen dressed in a kimono looked me up and down.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't be here," she said in a low voice.</p>
<p>"I know!" I shouted. "I have to get back to my Celty!" The girl, I assumed was the receptionist of this place, held up her hand.</p>
<p>"I know," she said. "You're not even on the list. See, look." I noticed her messing around on the screen of a tablet before she turned it to me.</p>
<p>"See?" she asked. I knelt down for a better look. I read "Judgement List" across the top. The list was empty. I looked up at this receptionist.</p>
<p>"So… how do I get back?" I asked. "I really need to get back to my Celty. Please let me go back!" The receptionist put up her hand.</p>
<p>"Shhh, shhh, shhh," she said. She shushed me again when I opened my mouth. I took a hint and went quiet. The receptionist lowered her hand. She gave me a calm smile.</p>
<p>"My name is Miiko," she said. "At your service." Miiko took a quick bow. I tried calm down as I stared at her.</p>
<p>"Can you get me back to my Celty?" I asked. Miiko perked up.</p>
<p>"Why yes," she said. She turned towards the back. "Come with me." Miiko walked down the back hall. I stood on my tiptoes looking back. I looked side to side before following behind.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-3:00 a.m.-</p>
<p>Someone breaks into the basement morgue of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. They walk up to drawer number 061. They pulled open the drawer. The sheet was pulled back. Shinra's body just lay there cold and untouched. Everything from his clothes to his glasses had been stripped off. They wait for a few seconds.</p>
<p>"What took you so long?" Shinra asked after he opened his eyes. He sat up on the slab and climbed off. After the doctor got dressed, he escaped with his accomplice.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Goyoku</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Ten: Goyoku:</p>
<p>-7:45 a.m.-</p>
<p>It was the poor secretary that found the body. She noticed that the CEO's door was wide open and the light was on. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. That was until she looked inside to greet him. Her screaming filled the empty hall.</p>
<p>Nishino-san was chained down to his leather office chair. Melted gold had been poured down his throat, burning him from the inside out. Credit cards, yen bills and coins, and tax forums were scattered all over the desk. All of the company's records were scattered all over the room. The boss had a full glass of scotch and his cigar had burned down to his fingers. More cigars were crushed out in the crystal ashtray.</p>
<p>The detective sighed. This was just three days from the last body. He rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"God damn it," he muttered. "This is not good. Not good at tall."</p>
<p>"Nakamura-san!" a voice shouted. The detective shook his head.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked. His colleagues had concerned looks on their faces. Nakamura sighed and walked over to them.</p>
<p>"What is it?" he asked. The female detective pointed out at the pointed out to the growing group of people were gathering outside. The police kept pushing them back. Nakamura-san walked over for a better look.</p>
<p>"Are they all employees?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. "Kimura and everyone is trying to keep them out." Nakamura sighed and rolled his forehead.</p>
<p>"We don't need this," he muttered. The police still kept the employees outside.</p>
<p>In the crowd, she stood towards the very back. She already knew what happened. She kept her eyes to the ground. No one noticed her smiling to herself.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Purgatory-</p>
<p>Shinra sat alone in the brown room. The clock ticked slowly in the background. Miiko told him to wait there on the bench. Shinra bit his lower lip as he looked around. The receptionist wouldn't let him ask any questions.</p>
<p>"Just sit and wait," Miiko told him. Shinra gave up trying to talk. Miiko drew back her finger and took a breath.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. The receptionist took a bow and disappeared through a small door. The doctor sat back, frowning. There was nothing in the brown room to preoccupy his mind. Shinra sat back and sighed.</p>
<p>"Now what?" he asked. The doctor stared up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily sat alone in her room. She winced when she heard a high-pitched whistle in her left ear. The tadpole girl let out a loud gasp. She huddled over the desk. The world seemed to fall away from her. Roc's face came into her head. He smirked at her. His hand inched towards her.</p>
<p>
  <em>No! Stay away! Stay away!</em>
</p>
<p>"Emily-sama!" Taiyou shouted. She saw a pale hand reaching out for her neck. Her screaming drowned out the room. She could feel Roc's tongue all over her face. His voice made her choke back bile.</p>
<p>"Emily-sama! Emily-sama! Emily-sama!"</p>
<p>Emily lay on the floor, shaking like she was having a seizure. Taiyou held her in his room. His voice couldn't reach her. The familiar couldn't do anything but hold her.</p>
<p>Moments later, Emily's body went still. She breathed heavily.</p>
<p>"Emily-sama! Emily-sama!"</p>
<p>The tadpole girl slowly drew open her eyes and looked up. Taiyou stared down at her. Emily slowly caught her breath.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she murmured. Taiyou bowed his head. She looked deep into his brown eyes. Tears welled up in her own eyes.</p>
<p>"I don't know what's wrong with me," she whimpered. Tears began to run down her cheeks.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mariko couldn't keep quiet about it anymore. She noticed the scars on Anzu's arms and legs. Her friend tried to hide them with long skirts, jeans, and flowy blouses. Some of the girls in their kendo class started whispering about her.</p>
<p>"Is she cutting herself?"</p>
<p>"How is she doing?"</p>
<p>"Do you think we should ask her?"</p>
<p>"Should we get her some help?"</p>
<p>"Do you think we should tell somebody?"</p>
<p>Maiko had to get to the bottom of this. So she waited for Anzu in front of the dojo in the early morning hours. She wasn't going to move until her friend showed up. Maiko even went as far as to practice everything she wanted to say. When she was ready, the girl drew back her shoulders.</p>
<p>"Right!" Maiko said aloud.</p>
<p>Moments later, she looked up and saw Anzu walking up to the dojo. Maiko stood up as straight as she could.</p>
<p>"Hello, Anzu-san!" she blurted out. Her friend had an odd look on her face. Anzu had her phone in her hand.</p>
<p>"What's going on?" she asked. "Why did you call me out here so early?" Maiko clenched her fists at her sides.</p>
<p>"Tell me the truth," she said. "Are you cutting yourself?" Her friend gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"What? No!" she was quick to say. Maiko looked around for a quick moment.</p>
<p>"Then why do you have so many scars all over your body?" she asked. Anzu froze for a moment. She took a slow step back.</p>
<p>"Maiko, it's not what you think," she said.</p>
<p>"They talk about you in class, you know?" her friend said. "They want to know if they should tell someone or not." Anzu dropped her shoulders. She didn't want to come down to this. But the scars on her body seemed to have forced her hand.</p>
<p>"Listen, it's not what you think," Anzu said. "Will you please let me explain?" Maiko folded her arms across her chest.</p>
<p>"What is going on then?" she asked. The blood tadpole looked around for a quick moment before she turned her attention back to her friend. She leaned in close to her ear.</p>
<p>"Come with me," she whispered. Maiko gave her a confused look.</p>
<p>"Why?" she asked. Anzu grabbed her by the wrist.</p>
<p>"Just come on," she said. She dragged her friend to the alley between the dojo and the other building. (Probably a shop of some sort.)</p>
<p>"Anzu!" Maiko shouted. "What are you doing?" They stopped in the middle of the alley. The blood tadpole let go of her friend's wrist. She looked around overhead for any cameras. Maiko looked so confused.</p>
<p>"What are you doing? Why are we here?" she asked. Anzu didn't answer. She set down her bag and unzipped it. Maiko's eyes widened as she pulled out a knife.</p>
<p>"Anzu-san!" she screamed.</p>
<p>"Relax," Anzu insisted. "I am showing you why I have these scars." She held out her left arm. The blood tadpole made one horizontal cut in the middle of her forearm. The color drained from Maiko's face.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?!" she screamed. Anzu reached into her cut and pulled out a large sword. She staggered backwards to the brick wall, panting. The blood tadpole held up the sword with trembling hands. Maiko's jaw dropped.</p>
<p>"What… How did…?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I was in Chou Mori," Anzu said. She took a step forward and nearly toppled over. Maiko rushed over and caught her in time.</p>
<p>"Whoa, easy there!" she said. She helped Anzu to sitting on the ground. Her friend looked up at her. Maiko folded her arms across her chest.</p>
<p>"How long have you been able to do that?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Ever since winter of last year," Anzu said. She must have taken too much, didn't she? The blood tadpole started to speak up. Maiko knelt down and covered her mouth. Anzu tried to read what her friend was thinking. The smaller girl held out her hand.</p>
<p>"Hm?" Anzu asked.</p>
<p>"Come on," Maiko said. "We need to get you to a yakiniku place ASAP!" The blood tadpole blinked at first.</p>
<p>"Huh?" she asked.</p>
<p>"You're going to need some red meat to get better," her friend said. Anzu gave him a confused look as she tried to piece together what the other girl was saying.</p>
<p>"Are there any yakiniku places even open at ten in the morning?" the blood tadpole asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know," Maiko said. "But I can find some. Besides, my family owns a yakiniku place." She smiled and winked. Anzu had a dumbfounded look on her face.</p>
<p>"You never told me this," she said.</p>
<p>"That's because you never asked," Maiko said. She pulled Anzu along before she could say a word.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Purgatory-</p>
<p>Shinra looked up when he heard the door open. Miiko poked her head outside.</p>
<p>"We're ready for you now," she said. The doctor stood up. The receptionist disappeared through the cracked door. The strong scent of incense made his nose burn. Shinra took a step backwards as he covered his nose.</p>
<p>"Gah!" he said. Shinra felt around behind him and noticed that the door was shut. He noticed that the room was dark. The doctor turned his head when heard a match being struck. One by one, black candles were lit on the floor. Salt surrounded them. Miiko stood behind the circle wearing black robes. She held a large leather and black jeweled book in her hands.</p>
<p>"Welcome Kishitani-sensei," Miiko said. "The ritual will begin now." More people, or rather ghosts, appeared behind her. Shinra looked at all of them confused.</p>
<p>"Uh… what is this?" he asked.</p>
<p>"This is an ancient ritual," Miiko explained. "This will return you to your body. You want this chance, don't you?" Shinra drew his mouth closed. She did have a good point and he wanted to get back to his beloved Celty as soon as possible. Shinra stood up straighter.</p>
<p>"I'll do it," he said.</p>
<p>"Good," Miiko said. "Get into the circle, please." Shinra walked forward to the salt and candle circle.</p>
<p>"Careful," one of the ghosts said. "Watch the salt." The doctor slowly stepped over the ring and stood in the circle.</p>
<p>"Lay down on your back," Miiko said. Shinra complied. The floor felt cold against his back. Miiko looked left and right.</p>
<p>-Two Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>"You can't be serious," Victor said.</p>
<p>"It's the only way that we do it," Miiko insisted. "Besides, Vanessa-sama said so herself. We need the younger doctor alive in the living world." The doctor frowned.</p>
<p>"But how can you even be sure it will work?" he asked. "No one has used the Book of Osiris in centuries. Plus, we have to get the ingredients. And someone has to translate the text. You and I can't do that." The receptionist broke into a huge grin.</p>
<p>"What?" Victor asked.</p>
<p>"We could go down to the Elysium Garden," Miiko pointed out. The doctor frowned.</p>
<p>"You can't mean…" he said. Her face was inches from his with her eyebrows raised.</p>
<p>"I know you have been sneaking down there for your experiments," she said. "Am I right?"</p>
<p>Victor's eyes shifted back and forth. Miiko looked deep into his eyes. The doctor dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Yeah, but…" he started to say.</p>
<p>"But?" she asked. That pause lingered over for what felt like an hour. Miiko started to smirk. Victor threw back his head and groaned.</p>
<p>"Fine," he said. "But we still need a translator."</p>
<p>"I'm on it!" Miiko said with a salute.</p>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>Miiko opened the book and let it float in front of her.</p>
<p>"Let us begin," she said. Miiko rang the bell charm around her neck. A middle-aged woman dressed in orange stepped forward to the receptionist's left. Shinra lifted his head.</p>
<p>"Who is she?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Relax," Miiko said. "She's going to be our translator."</p>
<p>"Translator?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"The spell is really old," the receptionist said. "This book is written in a dead language. There aren't many of us who can read it anymore. However, I did manage to find one to help us out." The petite woman in orange bowed her head.</p>
<p>"Hân hạnh được gặp bạn! Bạn sẽ có trong tay tốt," she said. "Đừng lo lắng."</p>
<p>"Wait… What did she say? Is she saying Vietnamese?" Shinra asked, lifting his head again. Victor who was standing behind Miiko, frowned.</p>
<p>"Not to worry!" the receptionist shouted. She rang the bell around her neck again. This time, an old man dressed like a fisherman appeared on her right.</p>
<p>"We got a translator for the translator," Miiko said.</p>
<p>"Pleased to meet you," the fisherman said, bowing. The Vietnamese woman spoke again. The fisherman listened and nodded.</p>
<p>"We will do our best to get you back to your clammily," he said. "You are in good heads."</p>
<p>"Huh?" Shinra asked with a confused look on his face. The Vietnamese woman clicked her tongue and smacked the fisherman on the arm while frowning.</p>
<p>"Oh sorry," the fisherman ghost said. "My Vietnamese is a bit rusty." Victor rolled his eyes. Shinra didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Miiko perked up again.</p>
<p>"Let's get started!" she said. The receptionist held out her hand over the browning and wrinkled pages. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she began chanting. The Vietnamese woman and the fisherman began likewise. The fire from the candles started to flare up and turn black. The chanting started to go faster. Miiko, the Vietnamese, and the fishermen walked around the circle as they talked. The Vietnamese woman threw handfuls of ash on Shinra's face. The doctor closed his eyes. He tried to spit out the ash.</p>
<p>"Đừng khạc nhổ!" the Vietnamese woman shouted.</p>
<p>"Don't spit!" the fisherman ghost said. The Vietnamese woman threw more ash on his face and crossed herself. Miiko stuffed a bright red berry into her mouth and started chewing. She trembled at the taste but forced herself to keep going. Victor kept his eyes on Shinra the whole time. The fisherman picked up a ladle and splashed cold water all over the doctor in the circle. Shinra tried not to spit and scream. This was all to get back to Celty. He needed to get back to Celty.</p>
<p>Miiko, the Vietnamese woman, and the fisherman picked up golden knives. Shinra shut his eyes. They each stabbed at the five points outside of the circle. Above his head, hands, and feet. Miiko jumped to her feet. She threw a handful of rice over Shinra's blood. The flames of the candles grew hotter. Smoke surrounded the doctor. He coughed up something black and spat it out. Miiko didn't flinch as she wiped away the substance.</p>
<p>"Return!" the receptionist commanded. The receptionist took her knife and made a small cut in her right hand. She threw out her hand. Small drops landed on the doctor's face. Shinra felt his body floating away before vanishing in thin air. Miiko stepped back and smiled a bit. She'd probably get in trouble but the end justified the means. The end justified the means.</p>
<p>Miiko hoped.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Thank you gentlemen," Kitano said. He looked at the Wallet of Greed in the plastic bag. He turned it back and front.</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Osamu said, bowing. Kitano turned to Osamu and Daichi.</p>
<p>"You will want to step back," he said. Osamu and Daichi slowly backed up to the door. The therapist walked over to the altar. He opened the bag and dropped the wallet onto the slot. The altar started to shake as it glowed. Twenty seconds was all it took before it went still again. Osamu blinked.</p>
<p>"That's it?" he asked. Kitano turned to him with cold smile.</p>
<p>"It will get bigger as we collect the remaining charms," he said.</p>
<p>"We'll head back to work now," Daichi said. Kitano waved them off as he watched the three charms on the shrine. The men bowed their heads and departed. Kitano turned to see Etsuko poking his head in the doorway.</p>
<p>"Kitano," she said.</p>
<p>"What is it?" the therapist asked. The doctor walked into his office. She had a grim look on her face.</p>
<p>"We have a situation," Etsuko said in a low voice. Kitano tilted his head.</p>
<p>"Did something go wrong with our projects?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Not ours," the doctor said. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. Kitano leaned in to take a look. Michael was nailed down to his cross, glowing bright red. The therapist turned his head.</p>
<p>"Are you telling me…?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Etsuko said. "What do you want to do?" Kitano took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"You know," he said. "This could play into our favor."</p>
<p>"How so?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Kitano asked. The doctor shrugged.</p>
<p>"I have few minutes before I have to get back to work," she said. Etsuko followed him out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shinra made it home early the next morning. He chuckled to himself as he thought about the shocked look on her non-existent face. It felt good to come back to life. The doctor unlocked the door.</p>
<p>"I'm home!" Shinra called in a sing-songy voice. Celty ran over and hugged him wildly.</p>
<p>"Whoa!" the doctor said as he tried to keep his balance. She pulled out her PDA and started typing.</p>
<p>[I missed you so much!] Celty wrote. Shinra chuckled as he hugged her back.</p>
<p>"I missed you too," he said. "I will never leave you again." The couple didn't want to let go in the early hours of the morning.</p>
<p>After he had something to eat and bed, Shinra went to bed. He wanted to have some welcome home sex but found himself too tired to even ask. Being dead and coming back to life is exhausting after all.</p>
<p>Around ten in the morning, Shinra's phone buzzed. He wanted to ignore it but the buzzing wouldn't stop. The doctor muttered to himself as he pawed around for his phone. At first, he couldn't see too well without his glasses. Shinra felt around for them and put them on. He noticed he had a new text in his half-asleep state. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked. Shinra stared at the series of numbers and decimals on his screen. He fully woke up when he heard a knock on the door.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Shinra asked again. He looked beside him. Celty was still sound asleep. The doorbell started ringing. Shinra frowned to himself.</p>
<p>"Coming," he muttered to himself. Shinra climbed out of his futon. He made himself look presentable and walked down to the front door. The doctor had a confused on his face. A man with short messy hair stood outside. He had on a white t-shirt and jeans. The man held out his phone. Shinra gave him a strange look.</p>
<p>"Uh… who are you?" he asked. The man shoved his phone into the doctor's face.</p>
<p>"Did you get this text?" he asked. Shinra had a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"Text?" he asked. Something suddenly clicked in his brain. Shinra picked up his phone and looked at the screen.</p>
<p>"You mean this?" Shinra asked, showing him the text. The man held up his phone next to his. Both texts had coordinates.</p>
<p>"Well okay," the man said. "You and I will have to go here for the fight." The doctor had a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Oh," the man said. "I apologize. My name is Sato Taishi." The older man bowed. Somehow, Shinra wasn't really surprised by this. He's heard that name before. In fact…</p>
<p>"You're one of the other tadpoles, aren't you?" the doctor asked. Taishi's face dropped.</p>
<p>"I see you remember that much about me," he grumbled.</p>
<p>"Why are you here?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"We don't have much time," Taishi said. "We have to go now." The tadpole grabbed the doctor before he could say a word. He crouched down to the ground and shot up straight into the sky. Shinra went screaming as they sailed through the air.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The men landed in front of an abandoned warehouse. Taishi took a breath.</p>
<p>"We're supposed to fight here," he said.</p>
<p>"So, you can fly?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the tadpole said. "That is my power." Another thought crossed his mind.</p>
<p>"Oh, here," Taishi said. "I was told to give you this." The older man reached into thin and pulled out a black croquet mallet.</p>
<p>"What's this for?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"I think you have to fight with it," the flying tadpole said. "I was just told that I had to give it to you. It came from some doctor."</p>
<p>"Victor?" Shinra asked with wide eyes. He took the mallet by the handle and incepted it. It was then he noticed the spikes on the hammer.</p>
<p>"Damn!" the doctor blurted out. Suddenly, the warehouse doors ripped open. Shinra and Taishi turned in time with the sound.</p>
<p>"It's time," the flying tadpole said. The doctor nodded once. They walked through the open doors.</p>
<p>Nothing but darkness was in sight. Shinra coughed and fanned away the dust particles. Taishi looked around as he chewed the inside of his cheek. The men turned forward when they heard clapping. The pale man in his nice clothes walked forward.</p>
<p>"Welcome, welcome!" he said. "So glad you could make it! Allow me to introduce myself!" The man held out his arms.</p>
<p>"My name is Goyoku, deity of greed!" he said. "Pleased to meet you!" The pale man turned to Shinra.</p>
<p>"Again, I apologize for killing you the other day," he said. "No hard feelings?" Shinra glared at him.</p>
<p>"You took me away from my Celty," he said. Goyoku waved him off.</p>
<p>"Details, details," he said. "We should get down to business." The pale man reached into the air above his head and pulled out a sniper rifle. He calmly loaded up the gun. Shinra wrapped his hand tightly around the handle of his croquet mallet. Taishi reached down into his pocket for his knife.</p>
<p>"I will grant you three questions before we begin," Goyoku said. He glanced up at his opponents.</p>
<p>"Question one," the deity said.</p>
<p>"Why did you kill me?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"Ah yes," Goyoku said. "I killed you because the last fight we had wasn't hot. Let me explain. You were boring as a mere human. So I figured that if I killed you and you came back, it would be worth my while. I had faith you would. But if you didn't, oh well." He put in the last bullet.</p>
<p>"Next question," the deity said. Shinra's jaw went tight.</p>
<p>"What do you get out of this?" Taishi asked.</p>
<p>"Entertainment," Goyoku said. "That first fight just makes it so delicious. Last question." Shinra stepped forward.</p>
<p>"Are you going to drag Celty into this?" he asked. Goyoku smirked.</p>
<p>"That's not up to me," he said. "That's for my brothers and sisters to decide. Now, we have one hour to fight. You even have to defeat me or time runs out. And don't worry about anyone coming because of the gun shots. This warehouse is near a dead section of town. Plus, there is a barrier around the building. So I suggest you start running… right… now!"</p>
<p>Bang!</p>
<p>Taishi and Shinra jumped out of the way. The doctor held his croquet mallet to his chest. One hour of this, huh? He didn't have any real fighting skills. All he had were his scalpels and his croquet mallet.</p>
<p>"Shinra," he heard someone whisper to him. The doctor looked up. Taishi flew down to his side.</p>
<p>"Taishi!" Shinra said in a loud whisper. The loud footsteps paced around the concrete floors.</p>
<p>"Waiting out the hour isn't going to work!" Goyoku shouted. "Come out, come out wherever you are."</p>
<p>"Right, you know," Taishi pointed out.</p>
<p>"So what do we do?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"Come on!" the greed deity shouted. "Don't make me waste bullets to draw you out. That would just be lame." The tadpole sighed.</p>
<p>"I will have to distract him," Taishi said.</p>
<p>"You can't…" Shinra said.</p>
<p>"We don't have much of a choice," the tadpole insisted. He took a breath. "I will fly out and distract him. You have to go in close to make the kill. Got it?"</p>
<p>Bang! Bang!</p>
<p>"You asked for it!" Goyoku shouted. "You left me no choice! I'm going to have to shoot you out!" More gunfire followed as the deity cackled.</p>
<p>"I'm going to go!" Taishi shouted. The tadpole flew up towards the ceiling.</p>
<p>"Here I am, you bastard!" he shouted. Goyoku smirked.</p>
<p>"I see where this is headed!" he shouted. "But I will play along!" The deity aimed his gun at the tadpole.</p>
<p>Bang! Bang! Bang!</p>
<p>Taishi had to keep track of how many bullets were being fired at him. He also needed to keep track of his own body. The tadpole stole a glance downwards along the warehouse. Shinra was running along the high stacks of unused materials. Goyoku turned his head forward.</p>
<p>"Ah-ha!" he shouted. "I see you, doc!" The deity reached behind him and pulled out the handgun he used to kill Shinra the first time they met. Taishi and Shinra were amazed that this man had good eye-hand coordination to be shooting at two targets at once. Taishi was lucky that he had the speed to keep flying and dodging.</p>
<p>"Damn it, how many bullets do you have?!" he shouted. Goyoku grinned as he finished off the bullets in the sniper gun. He tossed away the weapon and pulled out another handgun.</p>
<p>"As many bullets as I want!" he shouted. "I can never get enough!" One shot got Taishi in the foot. He didn't scream out as he kept flying around. In fact, it pushed him to keep going faster. How long could he keep this up? The tadpole would have to see.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Shinra figured that it would have to be now or never. He raised his croquet mallet above his head ran towards the target with a battle cry. Taishi frowned and rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"That wasn't the plan," he said to himself. But what did it matter? He could feel time running out. Goyoku turned at the waist seconds before Shinra got close.</p>
<p>Whack! Crunch!</p>
<p>The spikes caught Goyoku in the throat. The deity's eyes widened as he choked. Shinra stepped back, panting. Taishi started floating downwards. Goyoku slowly felt up for the weapon as the realization started to sink in. Shinra could've sworn that his opponent was smirking as blood slowly ran down his throat. The deity of greed pulled out the croquet mallet.</p>
<p>"Good… Good…" he managed to say. Goyoku sank to his knees before falling over. Taishi landed next to Shinra.</p>
<p>"Did we win?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know…" the doctor said. He slowly walked up to the body. Suddenly, Goyoku sat up with the wounds healing in his throat.</p>
<p>"You managed to hit me there just in time," he said. "But we are done for now. I can say that this fight was much better than the last one. Much better!" The deity of greed jumped to his feet.</p>
<p>"We shall meet again," he said. Goyoku vanished into thin air before Shinra and Taishi could say a word. Something told them that this wasn't going to be last time they would see him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Purgatory-</p>
<p>Miiko was helping to clean up the library in the East Wing. She came across the Book of Osiris laying open and face down. The receptionist picked it up and took a look inside. A light lavender piece of paper was pressed inside like a bookmark.</p>
<p>"Hm? What is this?" Miiko asked herself. She gently plucked out the paper and unfolded it. The receptionist read the contents word for word. The color drained from her face when she got to the end.</p>
<p>"Oh no…" Miiko murmured to herself. She turned and ran out of the library with book and note in hand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Kadota</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>IV: Sloth</p>
<p>Halo Eleven: Kadota:</p>
<p>It didn't take long for news of Walker's arrest to spread through Ikebukuro. Some weren't really surprised at all.</p>
<p>"Did he really try to kill someone?"</p>
<p>"I heard it was over a manga."</p>
<p>"You think he will go to prison?"</p>
<p>Ran looked ready to break into a happy dance. He smirked at the text he received from Izaya on his phone.</p>
<p>"Well, what do you know?" Ran asked. "That crazy bastard is finally behind bars. About time!" His laughter filled up his room.</p>
<p>"Who cares?!" Kururi asked. "Stop messing with your phone and fuck me already!" The thug closed up her phone and closed on top. Ran smirked and moved down to her thighs. Kururi moaned. Aoba was fun in bed. So was Ran. In fact, he had a little more skill than her boyfriend did. Kururi started to wonder if their dad was just as good as bad. Hell, she thought about seducing their mom as well. She closed her eyes as she thought about a menage a trois with the parents. The sons could join in if they want.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kadota frowned in the passenger seat. Bond was denied for this.</p>
<p>"You worried about Yumacchi?" Erika asked behind him. The leader rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. But it wasn't Walker he was worried about.</p>
<p>"Think he's going to raise hell in jail?" Saburo asked. Kadota didn't even want to think about that.</p>
<p>"What do we do now?" Erika asked.</p>
<p>"How is he doing, Erika?" Kadota asked. The otaku hesitated at first.</p>
<p>"Calm," she said. "Everything he said sounded robotic." Kadota and Saburo stared at her. Her face looked so pale. The expression on her face told them everything they needed to know. What was Walker planning?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily sat in class with tears in her eyes. The ringing in her right ear wouldn't go away. More flashbacks filled her head.</p>
<p>She leaned against white padded walls. The smell of bleach and the bright lights made her head hurt. The effects of the latest drug started to take hold. Emily couldn't stand up. Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily.</p>
<p>But she wasn't alone.</p>
<p>The door creaked open. Her eyes rolled to the direction of the sound. She couldn't see his face but she knew he was there. She could picture him smirking. Her heart sank with every footstep. He grabbed her by the cheeks. He was talking to her. She couldn't understand what he was saying.</p>
<p>Then he licked her on the cheek. Not little licks either. It felt like he was attacking her face. The crazed look in his eyes made it that much worse. He would run his fingers through her hair. Sometimes, he would leave hickeys on her neck.</p>
<p>"Such a pretty little whore."</p>
<p>Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Each time he came by it only got worse. The drugs made her too weak to scream or fight back.</p>
<p>"No! Get away! Get away! Get away from me!"</p>
<p>"Akimoto! Akimoto!" Someone started shaking on in the arm. Emily was screaming so loud that two teachers ran to the classroom. One of the tadpole's classmates grabbed her by the arm. Emily turned her head. She panted as she stared at a girl staring at her.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" her classmate asked. Emily stared at her with wide eyes. She started to back away before she calmed down.</p>
<p>"I don't feel so good," Emily said in a low voice. She stood up and walked out of the classroom.</p>
<p>"Akimoto!" the teacher yelled after her. The tadpole was already out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Rampo Biotech-</p>
<p>Kitano called the group to another meeting.</p>
<p>"Everyone," he said. "We have a rather unexpected development. Mam has tracked down two of the three archangels. They are going to activate one of them in the coming nights." The interns looked around to each other.</p>
<p>"What?" they asked. Kitano put up his hand.</p>
<p>"Now, now, now," he said. "This is one battle where it would be better to sit this one out. However, I believe it would play to our benefit. We should keep track of what they do. And brace ourselves for the aftermath."</p>
<p>Junko raised her hand.</p>
<p>"Yes?" Kitano asked. The nurse lowered her hand.</p>
<p>"So carry on as usual?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the therapist said. "But we will be advancing to part two of this round. That is all." The group departed and went back to work.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meanwhile downstairs, another sin made their way to Rampo Biotech. She walked up to the front desk. By now, the receptionist's face looked so swollen. The rings under her eyes were black and red with bumps. She could barely see a thing.</p>
<p>"Hello?" the receptionist tried to ask. Her voice came out as jumbled up. Nothing came clear out of her swollen mouth. Someone else had to take over the morning shift. The woman stood silent.</p>
<p>"Hello?" the receptionist tried again. The woman on the other side of the desk touched her swollen forehead. The room stopped for five short seconds. A flash of black came over them. The woman lowered her fingers. She bowed her head and walked towards the elevator. The receptionist collapsed to the floor, trying to breathe.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Daichi and Osamu were about to wrap up for the day. They couldn't leave yet until their guest arrived.</p>
<p>"So who's next?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Who knows?" Daichi asked. The older man gave him an odd look through his mask. A brick wall would carry a better conversation than him.</p>
<p>"Come on, man," Osamu complained. "Give me something here." Daichi looked up as the door buzzed.</p>
<p>"I've got it," he said. The older man rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"Of course you would get away as the door buzzes," he muttered to himself.</p>
<p>"What was that?" Daichi asked. Osamu just shook his head. The younger man brushed him off and buzzed the button. He backed up as the doors slid open. Her head came up to his chest. She couldn't have no more than eighteen years old. The black ninja outfit and her long black ponytail made her look that much younger. Through his mask, Daichi could see her cold blue eyes.</p>
<p>"So nice to meet you," he said, bowing. The woman bowed back.</p>
<p>"Come inside?" Daichi asked. She followed him inside. Just looking at her gave Osamu chills. The woman held out her pale dainty wrist. Daichi and Osamu saw the heavy black wristwatch. The ticking was loud enough to swallow the silence. The petite drew out a note from the empty space.</p>
<p>"No notice for this. Too heavy."</p>
<p>Daichi smiled behind his mask after reading the note. "No problem." He walked over and pulled out the pill bottle. He twisted off the cap and dropped one capsule into her palm. The woman took her pill. A sharp pulse shot through her body. She went stiff with wide eyes. The watch clicked open and fell off. Daichi caught the token in the bag. The woman bowed.</p>
<p>"No, thank you," the younger man said. The woman turned and left. Daichi gave her back a little salute.</p>
<p>"She creeps me out," Osamu said after the doors slid shut.</p>
<p>"I don't know, she's alright," Daichi said. The older man shook his head.</p>
<p>"She didn't say a single word when she got here," he said.</p>
<p>"Is that a problem?" his partner asked.</p>
<p>"I just don't trust the silent types," Osamu said. "You don't know what they are thinking." Daichi just shrugged and went back to work. The other man shuddered and finished up his batch of flowers.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily sat along in the nurse's office. She had her skirt rolled up to her thighs. Nothing. The tadpole tried on both her thighs and her calves. Tears welled up in her eyes.</p>
<p>-Early March-</p>
<p>Emily sat on Shinra and Celty's couch as she waited for her turn to be tested again. She didn't pay any attention to the TV on in front of her. She sat between Mikado and Nami. Her mind floated back to a conversation her mother tried to have with her last night.</p>
<p>Lately, it had become hard to hide her true nature from her mother. She wouldn't stop asking Emily so many questions. The poor tadpole found it harder to dodge or come up with new excuses to change the subject with.</p>
<p>"Why won't you talk to me?" her mother asked. "What is going on with you?" Emily paused with her chopsticks in hand.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked in a low voice. She wouldn't even look up at her mother. Why? Why couldn't she take a hint? Her mother didn't know how to stop bringing up that subject.</p>
<p>"You haven't been talking to me since last winter," she said. "You're always in your room. I've heard you talking to some man every night." That last part made Emily pause.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh no…</em>
</p>
<p>"What is going on with you?" her mother asked. The tadpole girl shook her head.</p>
<p>"Nothing is wrong," she lied.</p>
<p>"Don't lie to me," she said. "I want to help you. Please talk to me!" Her mother reached out for her arm. Emily smacked away her hand.</p>
<p>"Don't!" she screamed.</p>
<p>"Emily!" her mother shouted. He daughter drew back her arm, shaking her head.</p>
<p>"Emily, what's wrong?" her mom asked. The tadpole didn't answer. She got up from the table and ran away.</p>
<p>"Emily!" her mother shouted. The girl had already disappeared down the hall.</p>
<p>Remember last night's dinner made Emily want to vomit. Her mother's questions kept making things worse for her psyche. She didn't know how much more she could take.</p>
<p>Almost unconsciously, Emily picked up her right hand and smacked herself on her right thigh. Nami and Mikado turned to look at her at the sound.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Nami asked. Emily had a sheepish look on her face.</p>
<p>"Oh, sorry," she said. "It grounds me."</p>
<p>"Grounds you?" Mikado asked. Emily nodded once.</p>
<p>"When I start to have bad thoughts about that place," she said. "I will smack myself on the thigh or my calf." The other two tadpoles could see the bright red handprint on her right thigh. It looked like it stung.</p>
<p>"And… how does that help?" she asked.</p>
<p>"The stinging sensation is enough to jolt me back into reality," Emily said. "Afterwards, I take a breath and I feel better long enough just to get through." She looked at both Mikado and Nami.</p>
<p>"What do you do to stay grounded?" the tadpole asked. This gave her siblings pause.</p>
<p>-Present Day-</p>
<p>It was gone. <em>They stole it from me. They took what grounds me.</em> Tears landed on her thighs. Emily raised her hand to her chest and smacked her right thigh. Nothing. She could feel her hand connect with the skin. But there was no pain. No matter how many times she tried, there was nothing.</p>
<p>The realization came days after Roc injected her with that drug. Her mom wouldn't stop asking questions about what happened to her on that Sunday. Emily couldn't deal with the endless line of questioning.</p>
<p>"Please stop!" she pleaded. "I don't want to talk about it!"</p>
<p>"Emily!" her mother said. She reached out for the tadpole but she smacked away her hand.</p>
<p>"Just leave me alone!" the poor girl cried. Emily took off down the hall before her mother could speak. She slammed the door behind her. If she had to hear her mother ask any more questions, she thought she was going to go crazy. Why couldn't her mother just leave her alone? Since when did she even start to care?</p>
<p>Emily fell face down onto the bed. She wished that she could just sink into the bed and disappear. Visions of that Sunday skipped around in her head. Emily felt like she was going to vomit. She raised her right hand and smacked his right thigh.</p>
<p>But then she froze.</p>
<p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p>
<p>Emily lifted her head and looked down at her thigh. She could feel her hand connect with her thigh. Where was the sting? Emily smacked herself on the thigh again. She heard the sound. She felt her hand against her thigh. But there was no pain. Emily smacked her thigh about five more times before it sank in. She tried with her calf and got the same results. The fear filled her eyes.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh no…</em>
</p>
<p>That was days ago. Emily still had her brothers and sisters around her but they couldn't be with her all the time. She already knew that this was going to get worse.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Emily's phone silently rang in her bag hanging off the back of her chair. One missed call.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kadota doesn't like to be followed. Especially if they don't talk. Kadota didn't have to turn around to know that he was in this situation. How long had she been following him? He couldn't seem to shake her off either. Who was this woman dressed like a ninja? She hasn't made a single sound the whole time.</p>
<p>Annoyed, Kadota pulled out his phone and hit record.</p>
<p>"My name is Kadota Kyohei. There is a woman who's been following me around for quite some time now. I don't know who she is or what she wants from me. If anything happens to me, just know it was her."</p>
<p>He turned off the recording. Kadota glanced behind him again. How was this petite quiet woman keeping him with him in these crowds? The man took a moment to glance around at a red light. Trying to lose her didn't work. She was standing behind him right now. With that ninja outfit she had on, she didn't look armed. Then again, she could easily be hiding a small knife on her person. Now how was he going to confront her? So far, Kadota had been taking different paths to try and shake her. Like hell he was going to let her see where he lived. Time to try and change tactics.</p>
<p>Kadota finally ended up at an alley behind a strip club. Sure enough, his stalker followed behind. He came to a dead end and paused.</p>
<p>"Why have you been following me around ever since I left work?" he asked. "Are you looking for a fight with the Dollars or something?" The man slowly turned around. The petite ninja woman stood staring at him. Something about her made him shudder. She stood there with no emotion on her face.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Kadota asked. The woman raised up her right hand and drew it out. He put up his fists on instinct. Suddenly, he felt a slight pinch on the right side of his neck. Kadota felt along the sensation. The woman lowered her arm.</p>
<p>"What did you do?" he asked. She didn't respond. A cold breeze blew past him. With one blink, the woman was gone. Kadota blinked and rubbed his eyes. His stalker was nowhere in sight. He didn't know what the hell was going on.</p>
<p>Kadota pulled out his phone.</p>
<p>"Hey Saburo," he said. "There was a strange woman who was following me around. She's gone now but I don't know how long. Can you come get me? Good, I will be near the 7-11. See you then." Kadota hung up his phone. Something told him he'd be seeing that woman again really soon. The man shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking down the street.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meanwhile, the powers from the totems on Kitano's shrine started to take effect. Roc smirked to himself. It had been so long since he last encountered Emily. That encounter on Sunday awoken old memories and feelings inside of him.</p>
<p>"I have never really liked any of those tadpole freaks," Roc confessed to Rumi. His fellow intern turned to him.</p>
<p>"Why is that?" she asked. He shrugged and shook his head.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't understand," Roc said. He and Emily had history together. She always looked so afraid of him. For some reason, it filled him with a sick sense of delight.</p>
<p>"What does that mean?" Rumi asked. Roc turned to her with a catlike smile on his face.</p>
<p>"Tell me something," he said. "What do you think of those freaks?" She looked at him for a moment.</p>
<p>"The tadpoles?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Roc said. His fellow intern took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"Well," Rumi began. "Chirin-kun is kind of cute." Roc raised an eyebrow at her. Her cheeks turned bright red.</p>
<p>"He does have nice thighs," she mumbled. Hearing those words made his blood burn. Why did they have to be beautiful? Especially Emily. Akimoto Emily. She looked like a little broken doll when he was working at Chou Mori. She had two modes—dazed and out of it or scared out of her mind. The staff didn't really give a shit about their patients. The orderlies and the other staff members could what they wanted. Half of the cameras weren't really working properly anyway.</p>
<p>Roc smiled to himself in present day. Rumi took a step back.</p>
<p>"Uh… are you feeling okay?" she asked. Her fellow intern turned her head. His smile made her shiver. She didn't notice a dark shade covering his eyes.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Never been better." Roc rose to his feet. Rumi ran after as he started walking out of the room.</p>
<p>"Segawa, where are you going?" she asked. Roc paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. He had a smile that could only be made of nightmares.</p>
<p>"Oh, just stepping out to make a quick phone call," he said. Rumi just stood blinking as he slipped out the door.</p>
<p>Roc stood in a blind spot from cameras in the hallway. He took a quick look around. When he was sure that the coast was clear, the intern pulled out his phone and made a quick call. As expected do to this being school hours, he was redirected to voice mail. Roc left a brief message and hung up. He snickered to himself and turned back to the lab.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.</p>
<p>She's back in the kitchen again. Her mother has to have dinner at six. Today, she was grilling some chicken in sweet sauce with rice. She turned and looked at the doorway. Her mother was asleep on the couch for now. The TV was on but at low volume.</p>
<p>She gritted her teeth.</p>
<p>Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.</p>
<p>She lowered the knife on the cutting board. A look of fiery contempt filled her eyes.</p>
<p>She had the itch again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Taida</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twelve: Taida:</p>
<p>Kadota's phone buzzed beside him the next morning. He grumbled to himself as he pawed around for it. Who the hell was trying to call him this early? The man finally picked up his phone. But it wasn't a phone call. This was a text. Kadota didn't recognize the number. Now normally under a situation like this, he would've deleted the number. But since this was early in the morning, the man tapped the screen.</p>
<p>A puzzled look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Huh? What the hell is this?" he asked. The text was filled with numbers, coordinates to be exact. Then there came a knock on his door. Now what? More knocking on the door became a motive for him to get out of bed. The man didn't come unprepared for this, however.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"This is where Kadota Kyohei lives, right?" a woman's voice asked.</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked. There came a pause.</p>
<p>"Did you get the text too?" the woman asked. That was enough for him to open the door. A woman with a short black ponytail stood outside. Beside her stood a young man with short dark hair. The woman shifted on her feet. Right away, Kadota remembered their names.</p>
<p>"Hifumi? Norio?" he asked. Hifumi took a breath of relief.</p>
<p>"Good, you remember us," she said. "We don't have much time. Get dressed and come on!" Kadota started to speak but Hifumi stuck up her hand.</p>
<p>"Don't talk! Just get there!" she shouted. "We don't have much time!" Kadota put up his hands.</p>
<p>"Alright," he said. "Alright. I'm going." Kadota turned back into his apartment. The two tadpoles followed him inside.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Rampo Biotech-</p>
<p>"Thank you for the watch," Kitano said as he looked at the bag. He stared at the detail under the plastic.</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Daichi said with a bow. Osamu bowed his head. Kitano looked up at his colleagues.</p>
<p>"Osamu, could you see me after work hours?" he asked. "I need to talk to you about something important."</p>
<p>"Me?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "Meet me in my office."</p>
<p>"Alright," the gruff man said.</p>
<p>"Good," the therapist said. He turned and walked over to the now-glowing altar. Kitano opened the bag and dropped the watch into its rightful spot. A low hum came from the mini-altar. A cold smile spread across his face.</p>
<p>"Perfect," he said. "Only three more to go."</p>
<p>"We're heading back to work now," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"Alright," Kitano said. The men bowed and walked out the door. Once they were gone, the therapist pulled out his phone. He smirked to himself.</p>
<p>He would be watching the news around five.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily stared at her phone panting. Twenty-eight missed calls. All from a blocked number. But she knew who it was.</p>
<p>The first call was just heavy breathing on the other line. Emily stared at her phone when she got home.</p>
<p>"What the heck?" she asked. She didn't have to listen to all of the messages to know what they were. Blocking the number didn't help. The calls would still keep coming. Heavy breathing at first. The calls would last about ten seconds before hanging up. She did tell her homeroom teacher what was going on the day.</p>
<p>"Have you gone to the police yet?" she asked. Emily shook her head.</p>
<p>"Emily, this is not good," the teacher said. "You could have a potential stalker on your hands. You have to stop this before it escalates."</p>
<p>"But what do I tell them?" she asked. "I can't prove that it's them. I don't even know who it is." That last part was a lie, of course.</p>
<p>"That's no excuse," her teacher said. "You are a victim of a crime! You can't let it get worse." Emily's eyes shifted away from her.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to call the police with you?" the teacher asked. The tadpole girl finally nodded.</p>
<p>"Okay," the teacher said. She pulled out her phone and made the call. Emily's stomach turned. Already, she had the feeling that they had already made a big mistake.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Tell me again what's going?" Kadota asked. Hifumi glanced over her shoulder.</p>
<p>"Basically, some deities are coming into the living world and are fighting to unleash their powers," she said.</p>
<p>"The fuck?" Kadota asked.</p>
<p>"You'll have to see it," she said. Norio glanced over his shoulder once before turning back. Kadota looked at him phone again.</p>
<p>"How far are we going again?" he asked. The trio walked through neighborhoods that they didn't recognize. In fact, some of the houses looked abandoned. Kadota didn't remember ever seeing this place before.</p>
<p>"We are going in the right direction," Hifumi said. The gangster frowned to himself. That didn't answer his question. Norio didn't talk the whole time. Kadota shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe he should call Erika or Saburo.</p>
<p>"Don't do it," Hifumi said. Kadota looked up at her back. He had his phone in his hand.</p>
<p>"They can't help us," she said. "It has to be just us." Kadota opened his mouth.</p>
<p>"Please don't argue," the chain tadpole pleaded. "Just don't call them." The gangster hesitated at first before letting go of his phone.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Hifumi said, breathing out. Kadota didn't like where this was going. How long had they had been walking? They started in ten in the morning. By now, it was close to one. Were they leaving the city?</p>
<p>"How much longer do we have to go?" Kadota asked.</p>
<p>"We're just about there," Hifumi said. Norio nodded once in agreement. The gangster looked behind them once before following with no more questions. Not once did Norio say a word.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily finally made it home. The police promised that they would investigate. She didn't have any high hopes for that.</p>
<p>"I'm home," the tadpole said to herself. Her mother would be working late tonight. Emily shivered at the thought. She hated being alone now. She felt her body being pulled backward and pressed against a strong body. Taiyou hugged her and wouldn't let go. Emily slowly reached up for his arm.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she whispered.</p>
<p>"Are you okay, Emily-sama?" the familiar spirit asked. The tadpole shook her head. She sank to her knees.</p>
<p>"Can you just hold me like this for a while?" Emily asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, Emily-sama," he said. She breathed out heavily. Tears filled her eyes.</p>
<p>"What am I going to do?" she whispered. "I'm so scared." Taiyou rested his chin atop her head. He felt like a tight security blanket.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Now hold still," Etsuko said. "You will feel a pinch." The poor receptionist tried to nod her head. The doctor pulled out her needle and stuck it into the side of her face. The receptionist shuddered. Etsuko started draining the puss. This was going to take a while. The doctor happened to look up and see Roc heading out the door.</p>
<p>"Excuse me!" Etsuko shouted. "Where are you going, Segawa?" The intern turned his head. He had an eerily calm look on his face.</p>
<p>"I won't be going too far," he said. "Just out. I will be back, I promise." Then Roc headed out the door. Etsuko didn't get a chance to respond. Still, she couldn't leave the patient next to her. The side of the face started to go down.</p>
<p>"How are you doing?" Etsuko asked. The receptionist nodded.</p>
<p>"You will have a bit of a scar at best," the doctor said. "But you will be a happy woman after this." In the back of her mind, Etsuko had to talk to Kitano about Roc's behavior.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Just as the sun was about to set. Kadota and his group made it to the woods. He had a puzzled look on his face.</p>
<p>"This is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Hifumi said. Kadota felt himself frowning. This had to be a joke. This had to be. A heavy gust of wind blew by. The tadpoles looked up as if on instinct. Kadota looked up as well.</p>
<p>There she was.</p>
<p>The pale ninja woman stood on a branch looking down at them.</p>
<p>"Yo!" Kadota shouted. "Why did you call us out here?" The woman looked down at her targets. She didn't say anything as she jumped down from that tall tree. She didn't even make a sound as she landed. The woman reached into the thin air and pulled out a small tablet. She started typing on the screen.</p>
<p>[I am so glad you made it.]</p>
<p>The trio read the screen. Kadota blinked. She was just like Celty. The woman started typing again.</p>
<p>[My name is Taida and I am the deity of sloth.] She typed more on the screen.</p>
<p>[You and I are to duel for one hour. The whole forest is our battleground. No one is going to disturb us. You will not have to worry about damaging the trees. There is a barrier around the whole forest.] Taida pulled out a yen coin from her top and chucked it towards a tree. The coin pressed against the tree and landed back into her hand. The trio watched in silence. Taida began to type on her tablet again.</p>
<p>[You will get three questions before we begin.]</p>
<p>Kadota stepped forward. "Who sent you?"</p>
<p>Taida began typing again. [No one. We all came here due to being drawn to different people.] Kadota frowned at her answer.</p>
<p>"How many of them are you?" Hifumi asked.</p>
<p>Taida started to type again. [Seven. Four of us are already here.]</p>
<p>Kadota narrowed his eyes. "Are you after the Dollars?" At first, the deity of sloth looked confused. She started typing away her answer.</p>
<p>[Dollars? We have no interest in your gangs. We just want our powers back.] She reached up into the sky and pulled out a long steel blade. She got right into fighting stance. Kadota put up his fists. So it would be that kind of fight. Hifumi drew her chains from her hands. Norio pulled out his needles.</p>
<p>Who was going to make the first move?</p>
<p>Taida leaped up in the air. The trio didn't get a chance to see where she went.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Kadota asked. "What the hell?" The deity came down with her blade pointed towards him. The man managed to jump out of the way in time. Taida looked up at him and grinned. A shiver ran through his body. He liked her better with a stoic look on her face. Kadota took a swing. Taida moved before had a chance to blink. Damn, did she have to be that fast?</p>
<p>Norio looked around at what they had to work with. He spotted what looked like a dirty old sock doll. The tadpole rolled to the side. He tossed out one needle. It landed right on the forehead. The little creature twitched around in the grass before it stood up. It picked up two blades of grass threw them towards the deity. Taida looked down in time to sail to the left. That put her in Kadota's line to punch her in the right cheek. She didn't scream out. Taida stepped back into place. No emotion on her face.</p>
<p>Kadota figured that his best course of action was to knock out this deity to declare a victory. He'd fought quite a few tough girls before. Those were the ones that didn't mind taking a punch to the face. Taida seemed to be no different. The biggest obstacle was how fast she could move. He just needed a way to slow her down long enough to fight back.</p>
<p>Hifumi kept her eyes on the deity swinging her blade around. It all came down to timing. She held her chains in hands. <em>I just need to get this chain around one of her ankles.</em> Kadota dodged Taida's blade again before launching another punch to her face.</p>
<p>"Damn, you're good," he said. She gave him a smirk before aiming for his right shoulder blade. The gangster didn't move out of the way in time. He clinched his teeth but he didn't scream. Taida pulled back her blade for another attack. This time, Kadota wouldn't give her the chance. He dodges out of the way in time before moving behind her and grabbing her by the waist. The deity whipped her head around. One or both of them were going to hit the ground. She used her right foot to kick herself out of his grasp. He would not let go so easily. Neither said a word in the struggle. Kadota kept down the pain to the best that he could. He felt worse. The only thing to hope for was that the blade didn't have any poison on it.</p>
<p>Taida finally managed to kick herself out of his grasp. Kadota fell over onto his side. She came at him with her blade again. He managed to roll out of the way in time. Taida pulled her blade out of the ground and sailed after him. Kadota managed to land a punch to her throat. Norio's sock doll pulled out more grass blades and threw them like spears towards the deity's feet. The tadpoles frowned as they realized a huge problem.</p>
<p>"She keeps going too fast," Hifumi said.</p>
<p>"I know!" Kadota shouted. He dodged the sword in time. The man got nixed on his right cheek. He gave Taida an uppercut shot as a result. She flew backward before she got her bearings back.</p>
<p>That's when Norio heard a buzzing noise behind him. He turned to see a small black hole opening up in the dimming light. A black and glowing object came floating out. The needle tadpole tilted his head as it clicked at what he was looking at. He reached out for what looked like a small stun gun. Norio didn't feel the small burn on his hand. Still, it didn't take him long to figure out what should come next.</p>
<p>"Kadota-san!" Norio shouted.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Kadota asked, caught off-guard. Taida got him in the right shoulder blade again. This time, the wound went deeper. He clenched his teeth as she pulled out the tip. Kadota had to split his attention between Taida and Norio. The needle tadpole rose to his feet. He tossed the stun gun to the gangster. Kadota caught it from a long distance. The deity didn't even try to attack. She looked rather perplexed.</p>
<p>"Where did you get this?" Kadota asked him. Norio shrugged. The gangster frowned. It didn't feel right for his style to actually use a weapon. But this case was the exception. It had to be due to Taida coming towards her with blade again. She didn't say a word. As if on instinct, Kadota aimed for the chest. The weapon made a loud crackling noise. Taida's body went stiff with wide eyes.</p>
<p>"There!" Hifumi shouted. She used her chains to wrap around the deity's right ankle.</p>
<p>"Now!" she shouted. Kadota gave her a quick nod. He delivered one more punch to the deity's face. She was out cold. It felt kind of dirty to pull a cheap trick like that. But this woman would not go down. He only hoped that he didn't overdo it. Hifumi and Norio ran over to them.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" Hifumi asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Kadota said. "Is she dead?"</p>
<p>"I doubt it," she said. "We can't really kill her. She's a deity, you know." He was about to speak when he caught something out of the corner of his eye.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked. Taida made slowly lifted her head. Kadota put his fists up. Instead, the deity looked him in the eye. She only said one thing to him.</p>
<p>"I really enjoyed our fight."</p>
<p>And then she was gone. Hifumi's chain fell and broke into dust. Kadota turned to the two tadpoles.</p>
<p>"Now what?" he asked. Hifumi shrugged and shook her head. Norio just shook his head. Kadota was about to speak when his phone buzzed.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," he said. The man pulled out his phone. One look at his screen shifted his mood.</p>
<p>"I've got to go," Kadota said. He turned and walked back the way he came. Hifumi and Norio looked at each other before watching him leave. It didn't take them long for them to depart.</p>
<hr/>
<p>She drew back, panting heavily. She looked at her latest work. Her mother lay naked in their bathtub. Fifty-eight stab wounds covered her old wrinkled body. The light in her eyes had long since been snuffed out. She started laughing breathlessly like a madwoman. That old crone won't be criticizing her anymore. No more looks of disappointment on her face. No more pressures to get married and have kids. No more comparing her to other girls. No more condescending speeches. She was now… free.</p>
<p>She slowly rose to her feet. There was still more work to do. She already had what she needed packed up for staying a few nights away from the crime scene. Speaking of the crime scene, it was time to make the task complete.</p>
<p>First, she needed blood. And lots of it. Good thing she had plenty of it from a rather "generous" source. She counted about twenty-eight bags of blood. This should be enough. Good thing she plugged up the tub before hand. It was annoying enough to get that old bitch into the tub. She was heavy for a woman in her seventies. With that part out of the way, she had to focus on the art portion of her sacrifice.</p>
<p>She couldn't be half-assed with the details. This was art after all. She opened the first pack and dumped it into the tub. The little bit fills the bottom. A cold smile spread across her face. This one was going to be her favorite. It would take time but she had more than enough of that. They were working from home at the moment until they could get a more permanent boss to run the Tokyo branch of their company. Fine by her. She wasn't going to complain. Not at all.</p>
<p>Once the tub was filled, she stood up. Now for the tricky part. She ordered some parts off of the deep web. It took her about a day and a half to put this boiler device. She looked over at her mother. The body's mouth was wide open in indefinite shock. She sneered at the look on her mother's face. Funny, she never looked so scared and weak in her life. She smirked and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Not so brave now, are you?" she asked. She put the device into the bathtub. It would take a while for the blood to boil. She took a step back and smiled. She had nothing else to say to that evil old bat. But she couldn't go just yet. The blood splatter could stay where it was. Knives scattered all over the bathroom floor. She added the nice touch of fake plastic guns and toy weapons. She would carry the evidence with her back to Rampo Biotech. It was tempting to burn the apartment down. But she forced herself to walk out of the place she was forced to call home for most of her life. She smirked to herself as she walked away.</p>
<p>So this was what freedom felt like.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Even though she didn't need to sleep, it still felt good to close your eyes and sleep off some of the pain. Emily awoke on her bed in the evening. Taiyou was sound asleep in the corner of her room. A sense of calm washed over her. It felt good not to think about her misery for a change. She just needed to talk to her brothers and sisters to figure out what to do. For once, it seemed that everything could be fine for a change.</p>
<p>But then her phone buzzed on the floor.</p>
<p>Emily froze. It was too good for that thought to last. Against her better judgment, the tadpole picked up her phone. She had one new text message. The number was blocked. Instinct told her not to open. Sadly, her finger was drawn to the buttons on her keypad. The text only said one sentence. That was all it took.</p>
<p>"Look out your window."</p>
<p>Emily sat up with a jolt and walked over to her window. The color drained from her face when she looked down.</p>
<p>Roc was standing outside of her apartment, looking. He was smirking at her like a wild rabid animal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Antebellum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Match Nineteen/Halo Thirteen/Key Nine: Antebellum:</p>
<p>After Every Party I Die</p>
<p>
  <em>You're living but you've got no soul. You captivate but you hold no weight at all. So watch as I start to smile.</em>
</p>
<p>It was unusually hot that night. Ami lay in her bed feeling like she was going to choke. She felt it getting worse. The spoiled heiress had her hand to her chest. She wished that Lavi stopped avoided her so much. Ami had given up sleeping at this point. Tears ran down her cheeks.</p>
<p>"I want this to stop," she whispered to herself.</p>
<p>Ami could tell when it was coming at this point. The back of her throat felt like rusty nails sticking through the wet walls. No amount of medicine could chase it away. Ami tightly shut her eyes.</p>
<p>
  <em>Go away. Please go away. Please go away!</em>
</p>
<p>Suddenly, she heard a thump at the window.</p>
<p>Ami yanked open her eyes and turned her head. A figure floated outside her window. The hood hid the face. The heiress held her sheets to her chest. She shook her head.</p>
<p>"No. Get away from me."</p>
<p>The figure lingered there with its eyes fixed on the mother-to-be. The temperature in her room suddenly dropped. She pulled her blanket close to her body. Ami ducked under her bed. She tried to pray away the hooded figure. Ha! Like any prayer would work. Ami felt the air leave her chest.</p>
<p>Her bedroom door opened. Ami tightly shut her eyes.</p>
<p>
  <em>Not again. Please leave alone. Leave us alone! What do you want from us?</em>
</p>
<p>Heavy panting filled the room. Her eyes shot wide open.</p>
<p>Pounding music filled the air. Ami lifted her head. Flashing lights skipped around her. Black figures danced around her to the pounding music. Sounded to be a loud pounding house brand. The mother-to-be looked around frantic.</p>
<p>"Hello?" she asked. Ami could barely hear herself speak over the pounding music. She clutched her stomach as she felt the pain coming back. The girl sucked in a mouthful of air.</p>
<p>She couldn't see any of their faces. The music and figures' laughter made her ears ring in pain. Someone pushed at her back. Ami struggled to keep herself standing.</p>
<p>"Get away from me!" she cried. When she looked around, the person disappeared into the crowd. Ami puffed up her cheeks. Where the hell was she? What was she doing here?</p>
<p>
  <em>I want to go home.</em>
</p>
<p>But where could she go? Too many people were closing in around her. Some of them seemed to be staring at her. Ami turned to see a group of them facing her.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked. "What do you want from me?" Her voice got lost in the void. The music started to clash again the sounds of screaming. Ami covered her ears and screamed as well. Her voice got lost in the music. The baby inside of her seemed to be clawing himself out of her body. Hot tears spilled from her eyes. Low whispers filled her ears.</p>
<p>"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" she screamed over and over. The mother-to-be tried to turn around and run. She didn't care where she went. She needed to get out of here. But the crowd seemed to be pushing her back into place. Ami tried to fight them off to the best of her ability.</p>
<p>"Get away from me!" she screamed. More hands started to push her back. Ami tried to fight them off. She had to get back home.</p>
<p>Suddenly, there was a low rumbling noise. Against her better judgment, Ami looked up. The sprinklers started shaking. Suddenly, they started to rain out the dark liquid. A drop hit her face. Ami slowly reached up as she wiped her cheek.</p>
<p>
  <em>What…What is this?</em>
</p>
<p>She looked at the blood on her fingertips. Through the darkness, it didn't take long for her to recognize what was raining down. Ami screamed in terror. She turned her head to the guests all standing around, looking at the sprinklers. Their jaws were wide open to their throats. Sprays of blood went everywhere. The deranged guests drank up the blood like it was life-giving water. One woman howled aloud and threw back her head. She let off a loud moan. She raked her claws across her chest. Blood started to run out of the wound. The partiers ran over to her like ravenous wolves. Their teeth and nails sank into her pale flesh. The woman moaned as they tore her to pieces. Ami chocked back bile but couldn't turn away. It felt like something or someone was holding her head in place. She tried to look behind her but saw nothing. Nothing but pure darkness. A low hissing filled her right ear. The young mother-to-be started whimpering.</p>
<p>"Please let me go," she pleaded. A cold grip tightened on her right arm. She could feel invisible nails sinking into the skin. Laughing buzzed in her right ear. Ami winced with hot tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>That's when she saw it.</p>
<p>Red glowing eyes stared upon her. The room became so silent that she could hear everyone heavily breathing. There had to be so many of them. Ami quickly shook her head.</p>
<p>"No… no…" she said over and over. The eyes started coming closer. She couldn't turn and run. Something held her in place. Ami shook her head with wide eyes.</p>
<p>"No… No… Stay back! Stay away from me!"</p>
<p>The eyes started moving closer. Ami tried in vain to escape. The eyes moved closer and closer. They only chanted one thing.</p>
<p>"Mother!"</p>
<p>"Mother!"</p>
<p>"Mother!"</p>
<p>"Mother!"</p>
<p>"Mother!"</p>
<p>They advanced upon her. So many hands grabbed at her body. Her screaming was drowned out by their chanting. The last thing she could remember was all of those eyes surrounding her as the world sank into black.</p>
<p>Behind her, the Woman in Red laughed like the madwoman everyone feared her to be.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Ami! Ami, where are you?" Lavi called in the morning as he walked through the downtown cemetery. When he woke up the next morning, Ami wasn't in bed. The angel already feared the worst. He slipped out of her bed and quietly began the search for the mother of his child. Bookman managed to catch him halfway out the door.</p>
<p>"Lavi, wait!" he shouted. The younger angel turned his head. Bookman flew up to his side.</p>
<p>"Oh, what is it, old man?" Lavi complained.</p>
<p>"You will not find her in time," the older angel said.</p>
<p>"But…" his student said. Bookman stuck up his hand.</p>
<p>"Let me help you," he said. The older angel held up his hand and waved them in the air. He pulled out Ami's toothbrush and threw it into the forming circle of hot white. Lavi looked around as his body felt lighter. He vanished into thin air.</p>
<p>Lavi spent most of the morning looking for the mother of his child.</p>
<p>"Ami! Ami!" he shouted as he ran between the rows. His heart pounded against his chest. The angel tried to push out the worst from his head. <em>Please be okay. Please be okay. I hope I am not too late.</em></p>
<p>Lavi happened to look up to see a figure lying in front of an old and crumbling mausoleum surrounded by white, purple, and yellow flowers. The angel ran forward on instinct. He found that the figure was Ami lying unconscious on the ground.</p>
<p>"Ami!" the angel shouted. He ran over to her.</p>
<p>"Ami! Ami! Wake up! Hey! Hey!" Lavi shouted as he shook her by the shoulders. The whole time he hoped that she wasn't going to die. The girl's eyes slowly fluttered open. Lavi breathed out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>"Oh goodness, you're still alive," he said.</p>
<p>"Lavi…" Ami croaked in a hoarse voice.</p>
<p>"Shhh, shhh," the angel whispered. "Don't talk. Let's just get you home, okay?" The mother of his child slowly nodded.</p>
<p>"Right," Lavi said. "Can you stand up?" Ami kind of shook her head.</p>
<p>"Alright," the angel said. Lavi moved her arm over his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Lean on me, okay?" the angel asked. Ami quickly nodded. He helped the pregnant girl to her feet.</p>
<p>"We're going to take slow steps, alright?" Lavi said in a low voice. The girl slowly nodded again. At this point, she looked so tired. The angel figured it would be better not to engage her in any more conversation at the moment. Not until she recovered enough to talk.</p>
<p>They slowly made their way out of the cemetery. The whole time, the Woman in Red watched them from the mausoleum with cold dead eyes.</p>
<p>
  <em>You're living but you've got no soul. You captivate but you hold no weight at all. So watch as I start to smile.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Bring Me Back a Dog</p>
<p>
  <em>God give a little love. Bring me back a dog in the next life. God give a little love. Wanna be a dog in the next life.</em>
</p>
<p>This should be easy. The nightcomers just needed to sacrifice something of high value to them. Sabine already had her choice. Things had been going well between her and Zeno.</p>
<p>"So where are we going tonight?" he asked. She turned back to him with a coy smile on her face. The nightcomer had been playing this game so well. It was easy to feign love when the target is fairly attractive. She might have actually felt something for him. Wasn't that the point of this ritual though? Sabine turned and kissed Zeno on the lips. He smiled and kissed her back. So sweet. So tender. The nightcomer kissed him on the forehead.</p>
<p>"We're almost there," she whispered in his ear. Zeno smiled to himself as she led him through the empty streets.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Allison and her daughters were getting ready for their own ritual. The flat needed to be cleaned first. They did that this morning. Arthur sat on the couch in a daze. Allison went from room to room, checking everything. Her lips curved into a smirk.</p>
<p>"Excellent," Allison said.</p>
<p>The nightcomers walked around and set up an unlit black candle in each room. They all had to sit in the window. Place seven white stones around the bottom. Draw a circle in the middle of each room. Allison sprinkled brick dust at the doors. Arthur rose to his feet. Hecate turned the head.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" she asked. "It's not time yet. Please sit down." The empty Englishman sat down. Hecate had a curious look on her face. He shouldn't have been getting up yet. Could it be possible that…?</p>
<p>Hecate shook her head.</p>
<p>Nah, that was just silly. They had broken him. Why would he be asking on his own now?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sabine and Zeno made it down to the ruins. The lovestruck boy looked around.</p>
<p>"Why are we out here?" he asked. "Is this part of the surprise?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Sabine said. She had her back to him.</p>
<p>"Okay…" the boy said. "Then what is it?" The nightcomer had her knife hidden in her sleeve.</p>
<p>"Close your eyes for me," Sabine said aloud. Zeno looked confused.</p>
<p>"What for?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Do you love me?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Zeno asked.</p>
<p>"Do you love me?" she asked again. The boy gulped as his cheeks turned bright red.</p>
<p>"Uh… well… we've only been together for few days," he said.</p>
<p>"Do you?" Sabine asked again. Her forceful tone compelled him to make up her mind.</p>
<p>"Yes!" Zeno shouted. "I love you very much!" Sabine chuckled.</p>
<p>"You have no idea how happy that makes me," she said. The nightcomer turned around and kissed him on the lips. Zeno relaxed and kissed her back. She put her arm around his neck.</p>
<hr/>
<p>All over London, the blinds were closed. The streets had never been so quiet. Parents wouldn't let their children and pets outside. Even the animals were smart enough to hide. It's almost like they were expecting something to happen. Everyone and everything could feel it coming.</p>
<p>By sundown, Allison and her daughters went around and lit the candles. One by one, each room is lit. Arthur sat on the chair in a daze. A small smile came across his face.</p>
<p>The nightcomers all gathered on the roof once everything was set up. It was a new moon tonight. All of the daughters joined hands. A red fleshy mass lied in the center. "Arms", "legs", and "head" were all splayed out spread eagle. Hecate and Tessa formed the mass from the bodies of dead animals and aborted fetuses. After several attempts, the little body finally came together. Allison put her hands in the air.</p>
<p>"Michael, come to us!" she said. "Hear our cries! We offer up the blood of England to you. Come to us, dear Michael! Come to us and open up the Kingdom of Blood upon us!" The nightcomers joined in with the chanting. The night breeze grew higher around them. The fleshy mass started to move around as if in pain. Low moans escaped from its non-existent mouth. The "head" turned completely around so fast that it looked like it would break off. The nightcomers chanted faster. Allison held a big silver knife above her head.</p>
<p>"Come into this body, Michael!" she yelled. "We await your awakening!"</p>
<p>Stab!</p>
<p>The knife came down into the mass's chest. The living creature wiggled around before it fell limp. Black liquid ran out all over the roof. Allison threw back her head and howled.</p>
<p>"Come to us, Michael!" she shouted. Her laughter drowned out the howls of her daughters. The black liquid began to glow and fly up into the sky into glow-like balls. One by one, they disappeared into dark embers. Hot air surrounded the nightcomers. When the last ball exploded, everything became still. All of the nightcomer daughters had collapsed onto the roof. Allison stood alone in the center with a cold smirk on her face. His eyes glowed a hazy red.</p>
<p>Meanwhile downstairs, Arthur smiled to himself as a little life came back into his eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Slash!</p>
<p>Her blade went across his throat so deep that she nearly cut off his head. Zeno didn't even get time to react. His beloved had such a cold look on her face. The look of terror flooded his beautiful green eyes as he gagged. Blood gushed everywhere. Sabine just waited for the ritual to be complete. A single tear ran down Zeno's cheek as he fell to her feet.</p>
<p>High-pitched wailing filled the early morning air. Sabine looked up at the sky and held out her arms.</p>
<p>"Come to me, Michael!" the nightcomer screamed. Deep dark waves formed in the sky and started moving rapidly. Blood began raining down over the city. Sabine threw back her head and laughed like the sanity had left her mind. Locusts formed from the ground and took flight through the blood.</p>
<p>Then the world sank into silent darkness.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sabine didn't fully let him go. Michael just needed Zeno's blood after all. They didn't say that she could keep parts of him for herself. She only wanted three things from her dead lover. The nightcomer took her knife and cut out his heart. She then took his beautiful dead green eyes. When she was done with the knife, she wiped the blade on the green and put it back in her sleeve. There was one more thing that she just had to have. This one was going to take some time. Sabine pulled out her pliers.</p>
<p>"Sorry to do this to you, love," she whispered over the body. "You will be used to the fullest." The nightcomer pushed open his mouth and placed her pliers on the first top front tooth. She took her time pulling out each tooth. She would pause and look around. So far, there was no one in sight. The nightcomer made sure that she and Zeno were nowhere in sight in the coliseum. But she couldn't be too careful.</p>
<p>One by one, each tooth came out of the gum. Blood started to fill the open mouth. The front was easy. It became more difficult when she moved further back. Her grip kept slipping on the handles. But Sabine wasn't going to give up. She had to have his teeth. Her little bag filled up with each tooth. After she got the last tooth, Sabine rose to her feet. She breathed out and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked down at the mutilated corpse of her beloved. He still managed to look somewhat beautiful without his teeth and eyes. There was no need to do anything else to the body. Let the police find him. They will probably think some serial killer did it. Let them chase a phantom killer until the End of Days arrived. By the time they got a clue, Sabine would be long gone back to England.</p>
<p>The nightcomer blew what used to be her lover one last kiss.</p>
<p>"Good night," Sabine whispered. She turned and walked down the hill. The bloody-covered sand and grass crunched under her feet. The nightcomer would be gone from Italy by morning.</p>
<p>
  <em>God give a little love. Bring me back a dog in the next life. God give a little love. Wanna be a dog in the next life.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>I Come with Knives</p>
<p>
  <em>Kinder und sterne küssen und verlieren sich. Greifen leise meine hand und führen mich. Die traumgötter brachten mich in eine landschaft. Schmetterlinge flatterten durch meine seele,</em>
</p>
<p>-6:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>This latest mess started with a text.</p>
<p>Mikado was in the shower when his phone buzzed. He didn't see the message until he walked into his room. The tadpole noticed his screen. He didn't recognize the number.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hm?</em>
</p>
<p>Mikado opened the text. One quick read told him everything that he needed to know.</p>
<p>Hey baby,</p>
<p>I have a little proposal for you.</p>
<p>Let's play a game.</p>
<p>I am going to claim someone you care about in the next few hours. You have to until three in the morning to stop me. You are going to have to try and guess who it is. You have to guess who I am. If you catch me before time runs out, I will stop. But if my target dies, it will be just the beginning. Do not turn off your phone.</p>
<p>I wish you luck.</p>
<p>Love you! Xoxo</p>
<p>Mikado's blood ran cold. He wanted to believe that this was a prank. But deep down in his gut, he knew otherwise.</p>
<p>"Who are you? What do you mean?" he typed. It didn't take long for him to get a response.</p>
<p>"Uh-uh-uh! I can't tell you who I am. That would defeat the purpose. You have to play my game. The clock is ticking. You better get on it. Love you! Xoxo," the reply read. Mikado's stomach dropped. Right away, he began calling up everyone in his contact list.</p>
<p>First was his beloved Anri.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Anri asked on the other line. Mikado breathed out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>"Anri-chan, where are you right now?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I'm at home, why?" she asked. The tadpole took a breath.</p>
<p>"Listen to me, Anri-chan," her boyfriend pleaded. "Don't open the door for anyone tonight."</p>
<p>"Why? What's the matter?" his girl asked. Mikado paused. How could he explain this without freaking her out? The tadpole rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"I don't know what's going on," he said. "But please be careful. Promise me that."</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun, what's going on?" she asked. Suddenly, Mikado's phone buzzed by his cheek. Against his better judgment, he looked at the screen. Another text. The tadpole just had to tap the screen. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>This was the outside of his apartment. A chill ran up his spine.</p>
<p>"What's going on, Mikado-kun?" Anri asked on the other line. "Hello? Hello?" Her voice sounded so distant as he walked over to the window. There was no one in sight at first.</p>
<p>"Are you still there?" Anri asked. "Mikado-kun? Mikado-kun?" That's when the tadpole caught a flashing light in the distance. It became clear to him what he needed to do.</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun?" his girlfriend asked again. Her voice was enough to bring him back to reality.</p>
<p>"Anri-chan? Oh. Listen, I have to go," the tadpole said.</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun? Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. Mikado hung up without a word. It didn't take him long to go running out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-7:35 a.m.-</p>
<p>At this point, Emily couldn't take it anymore. She saw Roc's face everywhere. Lately, it had gotten worse. He knew where she went to school. He's followed her home. He even called her up on her phone. Her old methods of keeping herself grounded had long stopped working. Even Taiyou couldn't help her.</p>
<p>Emily pulled out her phone. They were all too busy to notice her pain. This would be her last chance to save herself. She dialed up the first number she could think of.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Mikado asked. The tadpole sniffled.</p>
<p>"I can't get away from him," she whimpered. "I don't know what to do. He's in my head and I can't get him out." Her eyes began to well up with tears.</p>
<p>"Aw, Emily," he said. She started biting on her thumb. A single tear rolled down her cheek.</p>
<p>"Where are you now?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"Home," she whimpered. Emily hiccupped a sob. Taiyou watched her across the room.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry," she whispered.</p>
<p>"No, it's not your fault," the other tadpole insisted. She's lost count of how many times she's heard them all say this. But it didn't make it any better.</p>
<p>"I'm so tired," Emily whispered. "So tired."</p>
<p>"Do you want me to come over?" he asked. Thin tears ran down her cheeks.</p>
<p>"Yes," she whimpered.</p>
<p>"Okay, I will be over really soon," Mikado said. Emily took a breath and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she whispered. More tears ran down to her cheeks before hanging up. It didn't take Emily long to break down weeping again. She already knew what was going to happen again. Their comfort did little to put her at ease anymore. What was the point?</p>
<p>Emily already saw how she was going to die.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-3:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Tandeki Group got to work preparing for the activation of Michael.</p>
<p>Kitano picked up his phone in his office.</p>
<p>"Ah, yes," he said. "So glad that I could finally catch up to you. Are you ready to talk business?" There was a pause as he listened.</p>
<p>"Great," he said. "Then we can begin."</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Daichi and Osamu were ready to send off the next patch. The older of the two men looked up.</p>
<p>"Have you felt anything different lately?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Not really," Daichi said. His partner looked through his mask.</p>
<p>"Have you noticed that Segawa has been acting weird lately?" he asked. The younger man looked up at him.</p>
<p>"How weird?" Daichi asked. Osamu took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"This morning, I saw him intently checking his phone," he said. "That grin on his face looked rather creepy. I asked what he was doing here since the interns had the day off today."</p>
<p>"And what did he say?" the younger man asked. Osamu shrugged and shook his head.</p>
<p>"He didn't really say anything at first," he said. "Just gave me a strange look that reminded me of a wild dog looking for food. Then he just walked away. Gave me the creeps." Daichi lowered his tools.</p>
<p>"Come to think of it," he said. "I did hear him heavily breathing over the phone in the men's room a couple of days back."</p>
<p>"Did you say something to him?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"I cleared my throat and asked if he should be working right now," Daichi said. "He turned to me and said nothing." The younger man paused for a moment.</p>
<p>"Think we should report him?" he asked.</p>
<p>"And say what?" Osamu asked. "That he's acting creepy?" Daichi shrugged and shook his head.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "It might be the altar getting to him." Osamu paused.</p>
<p>"Then what does that mean for us?" he asked. His partner didn't have an answer. The older man had to force himself to get back to work for the day. These flowers weren't going to blend themselves.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Aya had her part to do. It would be a matter of time before she had to step up next. But first, she needed to wake up the blood knights. One was already active.</p>
<p>She turned to her patient. "How does free feel?"</p>
<p>The woman with the long brown hair and glasses smiled. "Excellent."</p>
<p>"Are you ready for the next target?"</p>
<p>"Why yes. Who should I kill need?"</p>
<p>"That's up to you."</p>
<p>"Really?"</p>
<p>"Yes. That's what freedom is. You make your own choices."</p>
<p>The patient couldn't help but smile. "I know. I just want to hear it said out loud."</p>
<hr/>
<p>The latest murder hit the news. This time, it was an old widow. Everyone sat down to a shock for their dinner. She reveled in the gory details that the newscasters tried to dance around. The body was censored. Won't someone think of the children? She didn't need to see it anyway. She was thereafter all. It was her handy work. People were already talking.</p>
<p>"Who would do that to an elderly woman?"</p>
<p>"With that many stab wounds, how angry were they?"</p>
<p>"That boiling blood was scary."</p>
<p>"Look at all of those knives."</p>
<p>"Why would they do that?"</p>
<p>"Who could do such a thing to a sweet old lady?"</p>
<p>"I hope they catch that monster soon."</p>
<p>"Who could be so evil?"</p>
<p>"That poor old lady."</p>
<p>She sneered to herself over her ramen. Only she knew the truth. Her mother was not a sweet old lady. Her crime scene was fitting for how she lived. That old evil bitch deserved to boil in that blood in her tub. Well, it was over now. That was that.</p>
<p>She paid her pull and walked out of the coffee shop. She still had so much work to do.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-6:28 p.m.-</p>
<p>"Come on, come on," Mikado silently prayed as he held the phone to his ear. "Pick up! Pick up!" The ringing on the other line didn't make it any easier.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Masaomi asked on the other line. The tadpole breathed out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>"Oh good!" he said. "Kida-kun, where are you right now?"</p>
<p>"I'm at home with Saki," he said. "Are you feeling okay? Anri called me and that you were freaking out. What's going on? Did they try to experiment on you again?" Mikado swallowed a mouthful of air.</p>
<p>"Listen," he forced himself to say. "You are all in serious danger. There is someone stalking me. They said they are going to kill someone I care about. I don't know who it is or who is the killer is!"</p>
<p>"Mikado?" Kida-kun asked.</p>
<p>"I know, I know it doesn't make any sense," the tadpole said. "But please believe me." There was a pause on the other line.</p>
<p>"It's okay, I believe you," Masaomi said like he was talking to an upset child. Mikado shut his eyes for a moment for swallowing another mouthful of air.</p>
<p>"Just please be careful," he pleaded. "Promise me you will."</p>
<p>"Okay, I will," his best friend said. "We both will." Mikado breathed out and sank down to his knees.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he said. But relief didn't last long as his phone buzzed in his hand. Mikado froze as he pulled the phone in front of his face. One next text from that damned unknown number. Why didn't just ignore it? This could've just stopped right where it was.</p>
<p>But no!</p>
<p>Mikado had a puzzled look on his face with the next text.</p>
<p>"Ladybird, ladybird. Fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children all gone."</p>
<p>The tadpole looked confused by the message but he kept scrolling down. Another picture popped up on the screen. The tadpole tilted his head. Where was this taken? This had to be from an alley of some sort. But where?</p>
<p>Three little dots in a speech bubble popped up. Mikado held his breath. That speech bubble seemed to mock him with every ticking second. The text finally popped up.</p>
<p>"I can see you! Come out and play!"</p>
<p>The tadpole quickly looked around. He couldn't see anyone but something inside of him told him it was time to go. Mikado took off running. He went back to his contact list. Who else could be the target?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kururi had the connections for her plan to work. She felt like going out tonight. But she wasn't going to go alone. The girl pulled out her phone and dialed out that one number she needed tonight.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Chiyomi asked on the other line. Kururi put a fake smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Chiyomi!" she said. "How are you, dear?" There was a pause on the other line.</p>
<p>"Fine…" she mumbled. Kururi leaned back onto her bed, smirking.</p>
<p>"Let's go out tonight," she said.</p>
<p>"Go out where?" her clueless friend asked. Kururi shook her head. Not a virgin and still naïve.</p>
<p>"I'll come by and pick you up," she said. "You're really going to enjoy this." There was another pause on the line.</p>
<p>"Okay," Chiyomi said at last. Kururi smirked to herself.</p>
<p>"Great," she said. "I will see you in twenty minutes." The queen bee hung up before her victim could say another word. She turned to her mirror.</p>
<p>"Heh, I could use a bit of a touch-up," the girl said. Kururi climbed off of her bed and walked over to her bathroom.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily couldn't stay in her apartment. He knew where she lived. Home wasn't safe anymore. She voiced this concern to Mikado this morning. The tadpole drew her knees to her chest.</p>
<p>"Why can't he leave me alone?" she asked. More tears welled up in her eyes.</p>
<p>"Did you go to the police?" Mikado asked. Emily shook her head.</p>
<p>"What go will that do?" she asked. "I can't prove that it's him. He's smart enough to get away from the police if he wants to." The tadpole boy stared at her. The others were doing their best to keep her safe.</p>
<p>"Are the others still calling in to check on you?" he asked. Emily slowly nodded.</p>
<p>"Good," Mikado said. "Has anyone been staying with you at night? Besides Taiyou." She slowly shook her head.</p>
<p>"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"Not really," she mumbled. He grabbed her by the shoulders. Emily looked up at him.</p>
<p>"Look at me," he said. "You should stay with one of the others. It is not good for you to stay alone like this. I will see if Naomi-san will take you." He grinned her by the cheeks.</p>
<p>"You are going to okay," Mikado said. "Got it?" Emily didn't speak at first.</p>
<p>"Got it?" he repeated.</p>
<p>"Yes," Emily said in a soft voice. Mikado lowered his hands.</p>
<p>"Good," he said. "Call any of us if things get really bad."</p>
<p>In present day, Emily stared at her phone. How did she not have any bars in the city? She kept trying no but no luck. Something or someone kept jamming her phone. Her stomach dropped as she had an idea who.</p>
<p>"And you still can't find him?" Emily whispered to Taiyou.</p>
<p>"No, my lady," he said. She started biting on her nails. <em>Oh no… Not good. Not good at all.</em> Roc could be anywhere. Even in this large crowd, the tadpole girl was not safe.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Roc watched her from a Starbucks across the street. He saw her walk by with her head down with her hands in her short's pockets. By now, reason had abandoned the car. Raw instinct took over. That time bomb kept ticking loudly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-5:06 p.m.-</p>
<p>"Katsuhiro, we need to talk," Etsuko said in his office. He raised his eyebrow at his desk.</p>
<p>"Is this about Segawa-san?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You've noticed it too?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the therapist said. "Most unfortunate."</p>
<p>"What do you want to do?" she asked. Kitano took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"Knowing him, he would know how to work around our usual surveillance," he said. "Plus, one of the lab tech assistants has reported some equipment has gone missing." Etsuko gave him a look of concern.</p>
<p>"Don't tell me that… But how did he even get security clearance to the labs on the top floors?" she asked.</p>
<p>"He may not look it but Segawa-san is really intelligent," Kitano said. "Give him half a chance and he will figure out anything to get his way. I didn't think his fixation on Shoujo E would resurface with such further. I didn't even take Segawa-san to be susceptible to the influences. Knowing him, he's found a way to evade being caught." He pulled out his phone.</p>
<p>"Which is why I took the liberty of downloading a tracking Trojan Horse and installed it onto his phone. Well, I had one of the hackers to do it," he added. The therapist turned the phone screen to Etsuko. She saw the orange dot moving along a road on the map. It looked like Roc was on the move in the streets.</p>
<p>"That's a start," the doctor said. "What do we do next?"</p>
<p>"I have someone following close behind for an extra measure," Kitano added. "For now, we can only track him. We can't prove what he could do to her. The best we could do is keep tabs on him. We will figure out how to deal with him in the morning." Etsuko nodded once.</p>
<p>"Agreed," she said.</p>
<p>"Is your branch ready for what's coming next?" Kitano asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Etsuko said.</p>
<p>"Good," the therapist said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-8:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Chiyomi followed Kururi down the street. Both of them looked like they were ready to hit the town. Okay, Kururi did. Chiyomi… Well… she could still use some work. The queen bee glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. That red skirt and white tube top would have to do. Her hair and make-up were a saving grace at least.</p>
<p>"So where are we going?" Chiyomi asked again. Kururi sighed.</p>
<p>"A party," she said. "Now stop asking questions." Her friend drew her mouth closed.</p>
<p>"Okay," she said in a quiet voice. Her confident friend's mood changed. Ikki gave her a little "gift" to make the night more interesting. Kururi couldn't help but smirk to herself.</p>
<p>The girls made it up to Club Pink Kiss. Chiyomi saw the bouncer standing outside. There wasn't a line tonight. Kururi swayed up the twenty-something man. The bouncer looked up at her. The girl broke into a charming smile.</p>
<p>"Hey," Kururi said in a flirty tone. She reached out and pulled Chiyomi towards her. The other girl squeaked as the queen bee groped her breasts. Kururi grinned at the bouncer.</p>
<p>"My friend and I are looking for a good time tonight," she said. "Care to help us out?" Kururi kept fondling on Chiyomi's breasts. Her right hand slowly began creeping downwards. The other girl took in deep breaths as she squirmed in Kururi's arms. Her cheeks flushed bright red. The bouncer smirked at this display.</p>
<p>"I don't see a thing," he said. The man turned away as if something else caught his attention. Kururi grabbed Chiyomi by the hand and led her into the club before she could say another word.</p>
<p>"Why did you do that to me?" Chiyomi asked her friend. "I don't really like you like that." The queen bee panted her on the shoulder.</p>
<p>"Oh dear Chiyomi-chan," she said. "You have so much to learn."</p>
<p>"Huh?" the other girl asked. Kururi smirked under the flashing lights.</p>
<p>"Why don't you come with me and see," she said. She held up her hand to her friend. As if under a spell, Chiyomi took her by the hand.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado had been through his contact list. So far, everyone was safe and well. Even the tadpoles were okay. But there was one person unaccounted for.</p>
<p>The tadpole dialed Emily's number. By now, he stood outside of Russia Sushi pacing around. The other line rang.</p>
<p>"Come on," Mikado said to himself. "Pick up. Pick up!" There came a pause over the other line.</p>
<p>"The number you are trying to reach is either out of range or turned off," the operator said. Mikado's stomach dropped. He tried her number again. The same results told him that something was really wrong. The tadpole dialed another number.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Nami asked on the other line.</p>
<p>"Hey Nami," Mikado said. "Have you heard from Emily lately?"</p>
<p>"No… what's the matter? Did something happen?" the water tadpole asked. Mikado pressed his lips together.</p>
<p>"Listen," he said. "I think something bad is going to happen to her. We need to try and find her as soon as possible."</p>
<p>"Okay, I will call the others to look for her," Nami said.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Should I call Celty too?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes!" the other tadpole said. As if on cue, his phone buzzed.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Mikado said. He looked at his screen. Another text message. His stomach turned as he tapped the screen.</p>
<p>"No cheating! I can see what you are doing!"</p>
<p>The color drained from Mikado's face as he looked around. When were there so many people out here tonight? Too many demons blocked his view. The laughing and howling made his ears hurt. He tried to choke down his bile.</p>
<p>
  <em>What… What is this?</em>
</p>
<p>The pain started to form in his head. His phone fell to the ground as he gasped aloud.</p>
<p>"What's going on? Are you still there? Mikado? Mikado? Hello? Hello?" Nami asked on the phone. Her voice was drowned out by the laughing and howling.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meanwhile, Kururi and Chiyomi sat at the bar. The naïve girl was starting to warm up to her fast-paced surroundings. She wasn't used to this much attention on her. Her brazen friend took it all in. She had already ordered their drinks. Chiyomi sat bobbing around and enjoying the music. Kururi nudged her on the air. Her friend turned her head.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked. Kururi looked around for a bit before leaning in close.</p>
<p>"I brought us a little treat for us to try tonight," she said. The girl reached into her purse and pulled out a small baggie. Chiyomi's eyes grew wide.</p>
<p>"Are those-?" she began to ask. Kururi gently put her finger to her lips. She opened the baggie and pulled out two small white pills. The queen bee handed her one. Chiyomi blinked at first.</p>
<p>"You want me to take one?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Kururi said. "You just take it and put it on your tongue. Like this." She put the little white pill on her tongue. The queen bee put her tongue back into her mouth. Feeling like it was okay, Chiyomi did the same.</p>
<p>"Now what?" she asked. Kururi gave her a catlike smirk.</p>
<p>"We wait," she said. Already, Chiyomi had a starry-eyed daze.</p>
<p>"Okay," she said. Her friend smirked as she couldn't wait to see where this would be heading tonight.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Emily tried not to look behind her. She knew that Roc was around, tailing her. The tadpole held her as she kept her eyes down. Emily tried losing him but that intern was relentless. She could hear him breathing heavily behind her. The signal on her phone was jammed beyond use. Trying again would be no use. Emily shut her eyes and started praying in her head.</p>
<p>
  <em>Please leave me alone. I don't want any trouble. I just want to go home!</em>
</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Roc had the look of a wild animal in his eyes. He started breathing heavily. The intern had worked so hard for this plan tonight. It was so easy to swipe a copy of the lab worker's key. They had been so busy with preparing to play through this round that they could get so careless at times. Roc grinned to himself. Worked perfectly for him. Add in jamming his target's phone and tracking device, nothing could be better.</p>
<p>Emily gulped as she picked up her pace. She already knew what was coming. He just had to have her. Still, something inside of her wouldn't let her go down that easily. Emily ended up leading him to a graveyard. The tadpole paused before looking left and right.</p>
<p>"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she asked. Roc stopped but didn't respond. She clenched her fists by her sides.</p>
<p>"Please leave me alone," she pleaded.</p>
<p>"You know I can't do that," Roc hissed. Emily shivered as she tried not to cry. It was just like her days in Chou Mori. She could already feel him pulling her into his grasp. His tongue licking on her cheek. Memories of hickies on her neck made her want to vomit. Emily counted down in her head.</p>
<p>"Taiyou, make him go away," she said with her eyes shut. She waited as she counted up her options. The silence made her open her eyes.</p>
<p>"Taiyou?" she asked, looking around. "Taiyou, where are you? Taiyou? Taiyou?" She whipped around at the sound of laughter. Roc gave her a cold smirk. Emily started backing away.</p>
<p>"Haven't you noticed it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Noticed what?" the tadpole asked. Roc licked his lips as he moved closer. His hand was closer enough to reach her chest. Emily tried to run away but the intern proved himself to be much stronger. She had no idea when he had time to leap forward and grab her by the wrists. The crazed look in his eyes made her panic.</p>
<p>"Remember when that waiter bumped into you while you were trying to get away from me?" he asked. Emily's eyes widened as her mind retraced her steps.</p>
<p>"No…" she said.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said. "And you can thank your dullahan friend for giving me a way to subdue you long enough." He pressed his hand down onto her neck. Emily's body went limp. She couldn't move but she could still breathe. She could still move her eyes. Roc smirked as he unzipped his jeans. Many times he dreamt about doing this. But now, he would get his chance. Emily's eyes welled up with tears. Her lips murmured pleading to him. That only granted her smack across the face.</p>
<p>"Shut up!" Roc hissed. "Shut up, you little whore!" He smacked her across the face again. Tears welled up in his victim's eyes. The intern smirked and licked his lips.</p>
<p>"Yes," he muttered. Roc unzipped her shorts. Thick tears ran down her cheeks.</p>
<p>
  <em>Taiyou! Taiyou! Taiyou!</em>
</p>
<p>By the time Roc took off her panties and forced her thighs open, she knew that no one was coming for her. No one would hear her out here in this graveyard. When Roc's heavy hand covered her mouth, she knew it was over.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado tried his best to fight through the mental pains drumming in his head. His eyes watered as more and more inner demons turned to look at him. It didn't help that his phone mocked him with the constant buzzed. It became his ball and chain today. His tormentor kept leading him all over the neighborhood. And he still couldn't out who was doing this.</p>
<p>Because of this sensory overload, Mikado ended up wandering aimlessly.</p>
<p>When it cleared enough for him to see where he was, Mikado looked. First, there were people packed close and dancing to the music pounding above his head. It didn't take him long through the flashing lights and smell of salty to figure out he was in a dance club. He deduced that his pain and misery led him to this place. Mikado looked around but could only see demons and people in the crowd around him. He couldn't hear his phone buzzing at his side. The tadpole covered his ears to block out the painfully loud music. No wonder Megumi couldn't stand clubs anymore.</p>
<p>Mikado knew that he couldn't stay here much longer. He needed to get out of here and find Emily before it was too long. The fact that none of the tadpoles could reach out to her telepathically became a red flag. Did whoever taunt him with texts finally reach her? Was Taiyou trying his best to protect her?</p>
<p>However, his thoughts became distracted when Mikado noticed something not right at the bar. Wait… Was that who he thought it was? The young man teleported through the crowd and made his way over to Chiyomi and Kururi at the bar. The girls looked up when he slammed his hand down.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?" Mikado hissed through the music. The queen bee looked up at him with a catlike smile on her face.</p>
<p>"I could ask you the same thing, Mikado!" she said. She put emphasis on his name. Chiyomi looked up at him, giggling. The tadpole looked so flustered.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't be here! Does Izaya even know where you are right now?" he shouted. "You're both underaged! And who is this?" Chiyomi looked up with a high smile.</p>
<p>"You're pretty!" she said. Mikado narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"Wait… are you two high?" he asked. Kururi giggled.</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Chiyomi shouted, pumping her fist in the air. She broke down into loud laughter. The tadpole smacked his hand against his forehead. He didn't have time for this but he couldn't leave the girls there.</p>
<p>"Okay, that's it," he said. "I am taking you both home!" Mikado grabbed them by the wrists and teleported out of the club. He didn't care if anyone saw him or not. The tadpole got both girls out to the front.</p>
<p>"Stay right there!" Mikado said. He pulled out his phone and called a taxicab. Chiyomi was staring up at the sky. Kururi frowned as her fun was over.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The life from Emily's eyes had gone out. She lay on the ground covered in dirt and bruises. Blood had dried between her thighs. Her cute shorts were dirty and ripped. Tears ran down her cheeks. She couldn't even feel the pain. Smacking her leg did no good anymore. Laughter and crying filled the night sky. Was this how it's going to be? Would Roc keep tormenting her like this?</p>
<p>She shivered and shook her head. No. The tadpole couldn't take this anymore. This wasn't how this was going to be. There was only one way to end the nightmare.</p>
<p>Emily dragged herself to her feet and wandered out of the graveyard. Heh, what a fitting place for such a graceless end. But Emily felt too numb to make the connection.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado looked behind him through the rearview mirror in the taxicab. Kururi and Chiyomi sat in the back rather quiet. He didn't have time for this. First, he had to try and shove the girls into the back. Chiyomi had trouble staying balanced as he and the driver got her inside. The intoxicated girl lifted her head.</p>
<p>"My wallet!" she shouted. "I can't find my wallet!" Mikado threw back his head and groaned. He told the driver to hang on and hurried back into the club. The tadpole came back with the wallet in his hand.</p>
<p>"Let's go!" he shouted. Now, they were heading back home. Mikado rubbed his forehead. He really didn't need this. Emily needed him, someone, anyone. Roc could be torturing her or worse by now. None of the other tadpoles could track her down. He hadn't even heard back from Celty about anything.</p>
<p>"Stop the car!" Chiyomi shouted. Mikado turned his head.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?" the driver asked.</p>
<p>"Stop the car!" Chiyomi shouted. The tadpole groaned as the cab pulled to a stop. The girl jumped out of the cab and started vomiting on the street. Kururi smiled and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Guess she couldn't take her liquor," she said to herself. Mikado frowned and looked at his phone. It was then it started ringing.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Mikado asked. He heard sobbing on the other end of the line. His stomach turned as he had a guess of who this was.</p>
<p>"Emily?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I can't take this anymore," she whimpered.</p>
<p>"Emily, calm down," Mikado said. "Tell me what happened." He could barely get most of the story out of her.</p>
<p>"Where are you now?" the tadpole asked.</p>
<p>"I'm at the top of the Tokyo Hands Building and I'm about to jump" she blurted out. That was enough to send him into alarm.</p>
<p>"Don't do it!" Mikado said. "I will be there. Don't do anything stupid!" There was no response on the other line.</p>
<p>"Hello? Hello?" he asked. The line went dead. The tadpole started at his phone as his heart sank. He turned to the driver.</p>
<p>"Please get them home," Mikado pleaded, bowing his head. "I have to go!" He paid the driver and jumped out of the cab. The tadpole didn't even listen as the driver yelled out to him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sadly by the time Mikado made it to the building, he saw Emily falling to her death. The tadpole didn't even get time to respond to his sister falling to her death. The sound of her body hitting the ground made for an unpleasant noise through the early hours of the morning.</p>
<p>"Emily!" he shouted. By the time he ran over to her, she was already dead. Mikado sank down to his knees. Right in that instance, his phone buzzed. He felt drained as he lifted his phone to see a new text message. Two words just added insult to injury.</p>
<p>"I win!"</p>
<p>Mikado's phone hit the ground.</p>
<p><em>Kinder und sterne küssen und verlieren sich. Greifen leise meine hand und führen mich. Die traumgötter brachten mich in eine landschaft. Schmetterlinge flatterten durch meine seele</em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Rokujo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>V: Wrath</p>
<p>Halo Fourteen: Rokujo:</p>
<p>Kitano stared at the Heartseed. Emily's stem had already sunk into the plant. That's one more tadpole gone. He looked up when he heard a knock on his door.</p>
<p>"Enter!" the therapist said. Etsuko and Aya walked into his office.</p>
<p>"Oh good, you're here," he said. "Shut the door." Etsuko closed the door behind her. Kitano took a breath.</p>
<p>"You know why you are here," he said.</p>
<p>"Yes," Etsuko said. "What do you want to do about him?" Kitano moved his arms behind his head.</p>
<p>"Firing him is out of the question," he said. "I refuse to give him the chance to seek revenge with the other two groups against us. But we can't let him go free after what he did to Emily." He turned and looked up at Aya.</p>
<p>"And you want me to be the one to discipline him?" she asked. Kitano pressed his hands together.</p>
<p>"Now, I don't usually ask you to do your magic because you have other skills under your belt," he said. "But as it stands, I am at an impasse. The worst thing I could do is nothing. But I do not want to make the problem worse than it already is."</p>
<p>"So you want me to curse him?" Aya asked.</p>
<p>"Do as you see fit," he said. "But you have to do it before he does something else that could derail us." Aya bowed her head.</p>
<p>"Understood," she said. "I have just the thing in mind."</p>
<p>"Excellent," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"When shall we see the effect of Emily's death in the other tadpoles?" Etsuko asked. Kitano turned back to the Heartseed plant.</p>
<p>"I would give it a few hours," he said. "Our guest should be coming soon." The women nodded.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Masaomi found Mikado sitting outside of his apartment. He had a dazed look in his eyes. The blonde shogun's heart sank.</p>
<p>"Mikado? What are you doing out here?" he asked. The tadpole looked up at him.</p>
<p>"She's dead," he said.</p>
<p>"Huh? What do you mean?" Masaomi asked.</p>
<p>"Emily's dead," Mikado said. His friend's jaw dropped.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked. The tadpole used his hands to mimic someone jumping off the roof of a building.</p>
<p>"She thought she was a bird," his voice trembled.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry to hear that," Masaomi said. He walked over and pulled his friend into his arms. Tears formed in Mikado's eyes. His best friend heard him say something inaudible.</p>
<p>"What did you say?" Masaomi asked. He looked Mikado right in the eyes.</p>
<p>"I am a shinigami," he murmured.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" his best friend asked. The tadpole sniffled.</p>
<p>"I've watched them all die," he said. "Satoshi, Azusa, Emily…" The tadpole trembled. "I was there and they died." Masaomi took Mikado by the face.</p>
<p>"Listen to me," he said. "Look at me. Look at me." His friend stared at him as a single tear ran down his cheek. The blond shogun sighed.</p>
<p>"I had to kill Satoshi," he said. "Otherwise he would've killed you."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't that have been better?" Mikado asked in a weak voice. Masaomi frowned.</p>
<p>"I am going to pretend you didn't say that," he said. "I don't ever want to hear you say anything like that ever again man, do you understand me?" The tadpole trembled at first.</p>
<p>"Do you understand me?" his friend asked again.</p>
<p>"Yes," Mikado whimpered. Masaomi pulled him towards his chest.</p>
<p>"Let's get you inside," he whispered. The tadpole didn't say a word as Masaomi walked him into the apartment.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The Wasteland started to spread to the Saitama region.</p>
<p>It took days for Rokujo Chikage to see it. It started with a text. He got it around three in the morning. He wouldn't see it under seven in the morning before classes.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked. The sender came from a blocked number. Now, any other person would've deleted the text and moved on. But Chikage just had to look. He opened the text message. There were no words inside. Just one photo. It looked like one of his boys violently beaten. He laid out in the street with his coat cover in blood. The bike was even smashed to pieces.</p>
<p>Rage built up inside of Rocchi. He started typing up a response.</p>
<p>"Who the fuck are you?" he wrote. The gang leader hit send but the message was unable to send. Rocchi frowned. This wasn't going to be the last text he got either.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Ikebukuro-</p>
<p>By noon, a woman in armor made her way up to Rampo Biotech. Yep, this was the right place. Time to get this over with. She walked up to the doors and went inside.</p>
<p>By now, the receptionist's face looks normal again. She still has a little bit of trouble breathing. Her cheeks had some discoloration and a scar where the injection site was. The woman in armor walked up to the front desk.</p>
<p>"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked. The woman in armor gave her an odd look.</p>
<p>"What happened to your face?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I had a reaction a few days ago," the younger woman said. "Do you want to go to Lab 528?"</p>
<p>"Yes," the armored woman said. The receptionist pointed to the elevators.</p>
<p>"Fifth floor," she said. "Use the elevators."</p>
<p>"Thank you," the armored woman said. She bowed her head and walked over to the elevators. The receptionist waved.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Daichi and Osamu were already waiting.</p>
<p>"I've got this one," Osamu said. Daichi just bowed his head. The older man walked over to the door as he heard it buzz. He punched in the key code. Osamu stepped back as the door slid open. The red-haired woman stood in the doorway with her armor.</p>
<p>"Welcome," the older man said. "We have been expecting you." She sneered and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Can we get this over with?" she asked. She shifted in place where she stood.</p>
<p>"Okay," Osamu said. "Right this way." She followed him into the lab. Daichi turned and bowed.</p>
<p>"Hello," he said. The woman glared at him. Daichi went quiet.</p>
<p>"How can we help you?" Osamu asked. The woman clicked her tongue as she held up her hand. Daichi jumped at what he saw in her hand.</p>
<p>"Whoa! What is that?!" he asked. She waved around a silver .38 pistol in the air.</p>
<p>"Take this thing off of me!" she shouted. "It's tacky. I can't use it. I've tried tossing it, selling it, and even breaking it. But it always comes back in one piece! I just want to get rid of this damned thing!" Osamu nodded.</p>
<p>"We're on it," he said. He pulled out the pill bottle from his pocket. The man twisted the cap off and dropped the white pill into his hand.</p>
<p>"You just swallow and you will be a happy woman," he said. The armored woman wrinkled her nose.</p>
<p>"I don't take drugs!" she snapped.</p>
<p>"Oh trust me," Osamu insisted. "You will want to take this. You want to get rid of that useless gun, don't you?" The woman frowned for a moment. Osamu and Daichi waited patiently. She rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Fine," the woman muttered. "I'll take it." Osamu dropped the pill in her free hand. She reluctantly took it. A jolt ran through her body. The gun dropped into the bag that Osamu held open under her hand. He stood up and closed up the bag.</p>
<p>"How are you feeling?" the older man asked. The woman looked at the hand that once held the gun. She flexed her fingers and perked up.</p>
<p>"Wow!" she said. "My hand is free!"</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Osamu said. The woman bowed and turned to the door.</p>
<p>"Hey!" the older man called. She turned and looked back as her hand turned the surface of the door.</p>
<p>"Yeah?" she asked. The older man didn't even wait ask aloud.</p>
<p>"Where are you headed to now?" he asked. Daichi stared at his back. The woman smiled to herself.</p>
<p>"Oh, just a little trip to Saitama," she said. "I will get him to fight me this time. See you around." And then she was gone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-5:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Roc knocked on Kitano's office door.</p>
<p>"Come in!" his boss called. The intern opened the door.</p>
<p>"I'm coming," he said in a hushed tone. A confused look came over his face when he saw, Kitano, Etsuko, and Aya in the room.</p>
<p>"Uh… What is this?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Come and sit down," Kitano said. Roc slowly walked over to the chair in front of the desk and sat down. The silence could choke everyone in the room. The intern had a guess to what this was about. Roc opened his mouth to speak but Kitano put up his hand.</p>
<p>"Do you know why I called you?" he asked. Roc was about to speak but the therapist put up his hand.</p>
<p>"Only yes or no will suffice," Kitano said. The intern drew his mouth closed.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said.</p>
<p>"Emily's dead, you know?" he said. "She jumped off of the Tokyo Hands building early this morning." Roc snorted.</p>
<p>"How is that my fault?" he asked. Etsuko gave him a cold judgmental look. Kitano looked at his intern stone-faced.</p>
<p>"You caused her death when you stalked and violated her," he said. "You also stole keycards to break into a restricted lab to steal equipment for your own gain. This is all unacceptable." Roc sat back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest.</p>
<p>"Are you going to fire me?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No," Kitano said. His intern had a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Hold out your hand," the therapist said. Roc didn't move at first.</p>
<p>"Please hold out your right hand, palm down," Kitano said. Roc sighed and complied. Aya pulled out a black feather with red jewels on it. The intern's eyes widened as he figured out where this was heading. Aya licked the sharp tip of the feather and begins drawing on Roc's skin. The intern refused to scream in pain. He looked Kitano in the eye.</p>
<p>"What is this?" he asked through gritted teeth.</p>
<p>"I will not fire you," Kitano said without missing a beat. "But your actions will not go unpunished." Aya tried to keep steady as she drew on Roc's hand.</p>
<p>"Keep still," she growled. Etsuko took hold of the intern's wrist and held him down. Aya was done within seconds. She breathed out and drew back her feather. Roc sat panting. He watched as the lines in his hands disappeared into his skin.</p>
<p>"What did you do to me?" Roc asked.</p>
<p>"Consider it a measure to keep you in line," Aya said. "I have placed a curse on you."</p>
<p>"You what?" he asked.</p>
<p>"It would be in your best interest to behave," Kitano added. "Every act of misconduct will take a year off of your life. You've already lost four years already." Roc gave him an icy look but didn't say a word. He wasn't stupid.</p>
<p>"Is there a way to get them back?" the intern asked.</p>
<p>"No," Aya said. Roc's facial expression went flat. Figures.</p>
<p>"I am also cutting you pay in half," Kitano said. "You will make less than the girls. You are dismissed." Roc forced himself to grin as he bowed his head. He got up and walked out of the office without a word.</p>
<p>"Think that will be enough?" Aya asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "We can't afford to have anymore of our pets dying yet. We still have so much work to do them all after."</p>
<p>"Shall I prepare the next butterfly then?" Aya asked.</p>
<p>"Why yes," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Aya said. She took a bow and walked out of the office.</p>
<p>"I'm going back to the hospital," Etsuko said. "Excuse me." She bowed and headed out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Saitama-</p>
<p>It took three more of Rokujo's men to get beaten up to track down the culprit. They moved pretty quickly. The texts kept taunting him. For most of the day, it got him nowhere. His girlfriends didn't know what to do either.</p>
<p>"Have you found them yet?" Non asked. Rocchi shook his head. That's when his phone buzzed again. Another new message. The gang leader opened up the message. He got another picture in the message. Only, this one was different.</p>
<p>A woman stood in the picture pointing the phone in front of her. She looked like a punk chick dressed in armor and black leather. Her smirk could but ice in a person's veins. A strange sense of familiarity rushed through Rokujo's mind. He jumped to his feet from the bed and rushed out the door.</p>
<p>"Rocchi?" Non asked. He shut the door behind him. Worried washed over his girlfriend's face.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Ikebukuro-</p>
<p>Junko sat back at her desk and smirked to herself.</p>
<p>"And then there were fifty," the nurse said in the dark. She looked at the fifty remaining dots on the screen. It would be a matter of time before the other tadpoles would get Emily's power.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Hey! Hey! Hey!" a tiny voice shouted later in the afternoon. Mikado slowly drew open his eyes. A small face was really close up in his.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Ikari</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Fifteen: Ikari:</p>
<p>"Thank you again, gentlemen," Kitano said. He looked at the shiny gun in the bag.</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Daichi said. Osamu bowed his head.</p>
<p>"How is Roc?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Fine," the therapist said. "We won't have any problems from him for a while. I even think that his obsession has passed." The men didn't speak. Kitano walked over to his shrine. He opened the bag and dropped the gun into the right slot. The altar shook for a few seconds before it went still.</p>
<p>"Excellent," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"We'll leave you to your work," Daichi said.</p>
<p>"Thank you," the therapist said. The younger men bowed and walked out of his office. Kitano smiled over his shrine. The tadpoles should be inheriting Emily's power shortly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-10:00 a.m.-</p>
<p>Anzu walked up to the front door of apartment 318. How long had it been? Three years now? She felt like a bad friend. The blood tadpole looked up when the door opened a crack. A dull gray eye stared back at her. Anzu's heart sank when she saw her.</p>
<p>"Mizuki," she said. "Hey, how are you?" The other girl stared at her.</p>
<p>"It's me, Anzu," the blood tadpole said.</p>
<p>"I know," Mizuki said in a raspy voice. "Why are you here?" Her tone was low but full of accusation. Anzu shifted in place.</p>
<p>"I just came by to see you," she said.</p>
<p>"Why?" Mizuki asked. It hurt to see Anzu like this. Mizuki used to have a future as bright as hers. The blood tadpole lowered her head.</p>
<p>"I lost someone recently," she admitted. Mizuki didn't speak.</p>
<p>"Can I come in?" Anzu asked.</p>
<p>"No," she said. The blood tadpole frowned.</p>
<p>"I want to help you, Mizuki," she said. "Why won't you let me in?"</p>
<p>"Please leave," the other girl said. She shut the door before the tadpole girl could say a word. Anzu stood as she felt her heart breaking into little pieces. She tried to knock again but the door didn't open.</p>
<p>"Go away!" Mizuki shouted. Anzu lowered her hand. She heard one thought from Mizuki's mind as the door closed.</p>
<p>
  <em>Traitor.</em>
</p>
<p>Despite all of this, Anzu couldn't give up on her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rocchi made his way back to Ikebukuro. Something felt off about this part of the city. Instinct told him to turn back around now. But he needed to avenge his men.</p>
<p>Suddenly, his phone rang. His first thought went back to Non. The gang leader would have to try and calm her down again.</p>
<p>"Hello?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Is this Rokujo?" a man's voice asked. Rokujo narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"Who is this?" he asked.</p>
<p>"My name's Yukio," he said. "My girl and I are supposed to meet up with you." Something clicked in the gangster's brain.</p>
<p>"Where are you right now?" he asked.</p>
<p>"We're near Sunshine60," a woman's voice said. "Have you gotten the coordinates yet?"</p>
<p>"Huh?" Rokujo asked.</p>
<p>"Did you get a text of numbers?" Yukio asked. The gang leader was about to say no when his phone buzzed.</p>
<p>"Hang on," he said. Rocchi checked his text. Sure enough, he had one new message. The gang leader opened the text. There was the text with the coordinates.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I got it now," Rocchi said. "I'll see you in ten minutes." He didn't know why he said that as he hung up. It just came out like that.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Hey! Hey! Hey!" a tiny voice shouted later in the afternoon. Mikado slowly drew open his eyes. A small face was really close up in his. The tadpole blinked at first before jumping back in shock.</p>
<p>"What the…?!" he asked. A tiny figure in the shape of a girl stood on his lap. Long brown hair came down to her(?) lower back. Those big grey eyes stared up him while she(?) grinned. Was that a samurai outfit she(?) was wearing? Mikado quickly grabbed a blanket and covered up the little figure. He heard muzzled shouting from underneath. Mikado drew back the blanket. The figure glared at him.</p>
<p>"Hey!" she snapped. "Don't cover me up like that!" The figure snorted and folded her little arms across her chest.</p>
<p>"How rude!" she said. Mikado quickly bowed his head.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry!" he said. "I didn't mean to do that. You just startled me. That's all." The little figure tilted her head. Mikado got another good look at her.</p>
<p>"Who are you anyway?" he asked. The figure cleared her throat.</p>
<p>"I am a spirit familiar," she said. "At your service." She bowed her head. It didn't take long for the tadpole to piece together what was going on.</p>
<p>"Are there others like you?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said nodding.</p>
<p>"Heh," Mikado said. This familiar looked so small. The tadpole wondered how many more of them were left.</p>
<p>"Mikado?" he heard next to him. He turned his head to see Masaomi waking up next to him. The familiar looked at the blonde shogun.</p>
<p>"Who's that?" she whispered. Mikado gently pushed her back, shushing her.</p>
<p>"Yes?" he asked. Masaomi looked up at up, using his right hand to prop his head up.</p>
<p>"Who were you talking to?" he asked. Mikado straightened up in his futon.</p>
<p>"You remember how I told about Emily's death?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah…" his best friend said. "What about it?" Mikado's eyes shifted left and right.</p>
<p>"Well…" he said. "I think I have some of her powers now." Masaomi sat up straight.</p>
<p>"You're kidding," he said. "Which one did she have again?"</p>
<p>"She controlled Taiyou," Mikado said. "He was a spirit familiar thing. Didn't talk much. Kind of creepy -looking. Looked like a samurai." Masaomi nodded as he started to get it.</p>
<p>"Ah," he said.</p>
<p>"Who is that?" the little familiar asked next Mikado. Her new master had to push her back.</p>
<p>"Hush," he whispered.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Masaomi asked.</p>
<p>"Not you," the tadpole said. Mikado sighed. He was going to have to deal with his new familiar later. But for now…</p>
<p>"Masaomi, I don't think you should touch me for a while," he said. "I don't know how much stronger Azusa's powers had gotten."</p>
<p>"Right," his friend said. Mikado took a breath. He turned back to the little familiar spirit looking up at him with wide eyes. The tadpole couldn't help but feel that something worse was coming for him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rocchi pulled up to Ikebukuro West Park. A man with short dark hair flagged him down. The gangster pulled to a stop.</p>
<p>"Yo!" the man said, waving. Rokujo narrowed his eyes for a few seconds.</p>
<p>"Yukio," he said.</p>
<p>"So good to see you again, friend," the tadpole said. Rocchi looked behind Yukio. A woman with long red hair stood a few steps back.</p>
<p>"Are you Itori?" he asked. She took steps forward.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. A little smile broke onto the gangster's face.</p>
<p>"You're pretty cute," he said. Itori looked away blushing.</p>
<p>"Hey easy there, buddy," Yukio said. He could feel her eyes on his back. Wisely, he didn't add anymore to the warning. The male tadpole cleared his throat.</p>
<p>"Anyway," he said. "Are we ready to go?"</p>
<p>"Where exactly are we going?" Rocchi asked. Yukio shrugged.</p>
<p>"Where else?" he asked. "We just got follow the coordinates to the location of the duel." Rocchi didn't like the sound of that but he needed to avenge his men.</p>
<p>"Do you want to lead or do you want me to lead?" he asked. Yukio shook his head.</p>
<p>"Let's just go together," he said.</p>
<p>"Alright," Rokujo said. The trio headed off to their destination.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado took off the bandages from his wrist. The skin still looked so red. It stopped itching at least. But was that bite mark supposed to be screaming?</p>
<p>"Ooo, that's not good," a voice said. Mikado jerked his head upwards. A woman with long black hair stood looking down at his wounded wrist. Her gold corset held her curves in place. Her top hat matched her black stockings. Mikado scooped back with a gasp. The woman raised her eyebrow.</p>
<p>"What's the matter with you?" she asked. The tadpole blinked at first before his memories caught up to him.</p>
<p>"Don't do that to me, Dahlia-san," he complained. The pale woman's lips curved into a smirk. He never understood why she wore bright purple lipstick.</p>
<p>"You don't have to be so jumpy all the time," she said. Mikado frowned at her. Dahlia picked up his wrist. She looked at it as if she were studying the bite mark really closely.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Mikado asked. Dahlia looked him in the eye.</p>
<p>"This isn't good," she said. "Oh. Oh…" The tadpole gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"What?" he asked. Dahlia looked him in the eye.</p>
<p>"She's given you her venom," she said. The color drained from Mikado's face. He slowly started shaking his head.</p>
<p>"Don't tell me…" he said. Dahlia kind of chuckled.</p>
<p>"Oh, no, no, no," she said. "You aren't going to turn into a pervert. Her venom does not do that." Mikado frowned. Her nonchalant tone was not helping. And did she have to say it like that?</p>
<p>"So what does it do?" he asked. Dahlia let Mikado's wrist drop to his side.</p>
<p>"Have you been seeing ghosts lately?" she asked.</p>
<p>"More than usual?" he asked. The woman leaned in close to his face.</p>
<p>"I mean in your eyes," she said. "Try to think back. This is really important." Mikado dug back into his memories over the past few days. Flickers of dark clouds flashed in his mind. The tadpole flinched as it came back to the surface.</p>
<p>"That's the first stage," Dahlia said. "The toxins are starting to spread." Mikado stared at her with big eyes. He opened his mouth to speak. The woman put up her finger.</p>
<p>"Relax, relax," she said. "You can fight it. You have the blood and powers to do it. Although…"</p>
<p>"What?" Mikado asked. She didn't say anything at first. Dahlia pats him on the head.</p>
<p>"You are being dragged into their world," the woman said. "I do not doubt you will be strong enough to Yokubo's poison but you have seen so much in all the times. I am worried that this would be the last time." Her tone sounded more serious, somber even.</p>
<p>"W-W-What should I do?" Mikado asked. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. A confused look on his face. <em>What is this? Why is she doing this?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>This is only a quick fix.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p>
<p><em>The only way to defeat the toxin is to feed it. This is all I can do for now. </em>Dahlia pulled away.</p>
<p>"I wish you luck," was all she said. And then she was gone. Mikado sat alone in his apartment. He looked down at his wrist.</p>
<p>"What exactly did you do?" he asked. The redness from the wound at disappeared.</p>
<p>"Heh," Mikado said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rocchi, Itori, and Yukio walked further down an abandoned road. This trail to the destination seemed to be going on. The sun was starting to set by now. Yukio looked back at Rokujo.</p>
<p>"You and I are a lot alike," he said.</p>
<p>"Okay… That was random," Rokujo said.</p>
<p>"I mean it," Yukio said. "We don't want to fight girls. But I feel that we have no choice in this matter." Rokujo shook his head.</p>
<p>"That's just how it is," Yukio said. "I don't like it either."</p>
<p>"Then I will do the fighting," Itori spoke up. The men stared at her back.</p>
<p>"Itori?" the other tadpole asked.</p>
<p>"Don't start, she said. "She won't stop until we fight her."</p>
<p>"Wait… Her?" Rokujo asked. Itori smacked Yukio in the arm.</p>
<p>"What did you do that for?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You did this last time," she hissed. "We can't afford to have him backing out."</p>
<p>"Yeah but still…" Yukio said.</p>
<p>"Guys," Rocchi said. "Is that it?" He was pointing forward. The other two tadpoles looked up. Confused looks came across their faces. They had arrived at an abandoned gas station. The only thing working were the lights. The billboards looked like they had seen better days. The pumps didn't look like they would be of any use anymore. The store looked like it hadn't been open since the seventies. Was that a broken down old car in the parking lot?</p>
<p>Chikage climbed off of his motorcycle.</p>
<p>"What's a broken down gas station doing in the middle of nowhere?" he asked.</p>
<p>"This is it," Yukio said. He didn't sound confident about that. A woman chuckling filled the air. The trio looked up and saw the red-haired woman dressed in armor. Rokujo instantly recognized her.</p>
<p>"It's you!" he shouted. The woman held out her arms and smirked.</p>
<p>"Welcome to my battleground!" she said. "My name is Ikari. I am the deity of wrath and I will be your opponent." Rocchi shook his head.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, love," he said. "But I don't hit women." Ikari glared at him.</p>
<p>"Come on! What's it going to take for you to fight me?!" she shouted. "I've attacked three of your men. Don't you want revenge?"</p>
<p>"Well… yeah…" Rocchi said. Ikari rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"I am going to stop you right there," she said. "You're already starting to piss me off." The deity cleared her throat.</p>
<p>"Anyway, we all have one hour to fight," she said. "You either have to defeat me or run out of time. Before we begin, I will answer three questions. Starting… now."</p>
<p>"Why do you keep trying to get me to fight you?" Rocchi asked. Ikari threw back her head and groaned.</p>
<p>"Men like you piss me off," she said. "You don't want to hit me because I'm a woman. I am a fighter! I fight both men and women! Fight me like an equal, damn it! Just do it!"</p>
<p>"How do you guys keep making these battlegrounds?" Yukio asked. Ikari cleared her throat.</p>
<p>"We just make it out from something deep within our souls," she said. "It's a long-passed on power that I don't care to explain. And don't worry about hitting the pumps. The barrier keeps us from hitting anything that could hurt us from the outside." Ikari pulled out a yen coin and tossed it to one of the old pumps. The coin bounced back and landed in her palm.</p>
<p>"Last question," Ikari said. Itori stepped forward.</p>
<p>"What will you do if it's just me fighting you?" she asked. The deity sighed and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"I will still have to fight," she said. Ikari reached behind her and pulled out a sword.</p>
<p>"Let's fight!" she shouted. The deity charged towards to Rocchi. He whipped out his kabutowari and blocked her sword. She looked up with a smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Good, now you're getting it!" Ikari shouted. But that was only as far as he would go. She did the attacking while he did the dodging. The deity clicked her tongue.</p>
<p>"Come on, you pussy!" she screamed. "Fight me like a man!" Rocchi still wouldn't do it. Ikari came at him with her sword again.</p>
<p>"Do you seriously think that you can win by just dodging me?!" she screamed. She took another swing.</p>
<p>Clang!</p>
<p>Ikari looked up to see Itori blocking her with a trash can lid. Her face turned red with rage.</p>
<p>"Get the fuck out of the way, bitch!" she screamed. The female tadpole pushed her back. Ikari stumbled backwards. She managed to catch her balance. Itori gave her a cold look.</p>
<p>"Your opponent is me now!" she said. The tadpole let out a battle cry and kicked Ikari in the stomach. The deity fell back and broke down laughing.</p>
<p>"You'll have to do for now!" she shouted. Ikari picked up her sword and fell at her second opponent. Chikage was about to get up and stop them but Yukio grabbed him by the arm. The tadpole shook his head.</p>
<p>"I am not going to let them fight," Rocchi said with his eyes. Yukio sighed and shook his head.</p>
<p>"I know it sucks," the tadpole said. "But you have to let them fight. Stopping them would just be an insult to them." Rocchi wiggled out of his grasp.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but I just can't let two beautiful women ruin their faces and bodies in a fight over nothing," he said. Yukio bowed his head.</p>
<p>"Then use these," he said. The tadpole handed him a handful of darts. Rocchi picked them up and remembered what they were planning. Each darts was painted in silver with red Kanji written on the surface. The tips were painted a light gold color.</p>
<p>Itori kept her eyes on Ikari's sword. There had to be a weak point. She looked over her shoulder at one point. Rocchi was standing alone. He nodded once. Ikari looked up with her teeth clenched.</p>
<p>"What the hell are you trying to do?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Chikage, aim for the base!" Itori shouted. The gang leader rose his dart above his head. Ikari's eyes widened.</p>
<p>"What the hell are you doing?!" she asked. Rokujo threw a dart at her long sword. The weapon sailed through the air and hit the blade. The whole sword shattered and broke into little pieces. Ikari's face turned redder as she screamed in rage. Rokujo gave her a little smile.</p>
<p>"It looks like we won," he said. Ikari threw down her broken sword. The pissed off deity vanished into thin air. Yukio turned to the gang leader.</p>
<p>"She's going to come after you for a rematch, you know?" he said. Rocchi kind of shrugged.</p>
<p>"I can live with that," he said. Rokujo turned and walked back to his bike. Itori and Yukio followed behind.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Natsuko skipped up to the Starbucks with a huge grin on her face. She held her folder to her chest as she walked through the doors. Detective Nakamura sat at the counter, frowning. He drummed his fingers on the counter. The journalist smiled wider and ran over to him.</p>
<p>"Hey!" she said in a cheery voice. Nakamura rolled his eyes. Natsuko sat down next to him and slapped down her folder.</p>
<p>"What do you want, Natsuko?" he asked. The journalist giggled.</p>
<p>"I can help you crack your case!" she announced.</p>
<p>"Pass," he said. The journalist pouted at him.</p>
<p>"Oh come on, Kota-kun!" she said. "Can't you at least hear me out?" She leaned on him, grabbing onto his arm. Nakamura pushed her off.</p>
<p>"Stop calling me that," he complained. Natsuko obviously didn't take the hint. She broke into a catlike grin because she had been dying to say this for weeks now.</p>
<p>"I think your cases are connected!" she said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Izaya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>VI: Envy</p>
<p>Halo Sixteen: Izaya:</p>
<p>Kitano got the email early this morning. The subject line read "You Have Competition for the Tadpoles". The therapist shrugged over his matcha tea. His source pulled through after all. Time to see what they found. He opened the message.</p>
<p>No text. Just a video. Kitano clicked on the file.</p>
<p>A pale and skinny woman sat on the floor. The front of her white gown was covered in something like blood. Her bright blonde hair covered her face. A man in a plague doctor suit walked up to her. He placed gloved hand down onto her head. The man spoke in Russian. There were no subtitles in the clip. He lifted the woman's head. She let off a loud hiss.</p>
<p>Despite the grainy image, Kitano could clearly see her fangs. He studied the video closely.</p>
<p>In the video, the woman lunged forward for a bite. The man pushed her back. He said something else in Russian. There came more hisses and growls. The man patted her on the head. He turned back to the camera and started talking. This time, it was in English. Japanese subtitles popped up on the screen.</p>
<p>"This is Valya," he said. "She is our daughter. We will have her consume the tadpoles. You forced our hand, Kitano-sensei. You bought this on you." The video clip ended. That wasn't the only video in the email. Kitano looked at the clock at the bottom right corner. Only 7:38, huh? He needed to contact his source and watch all the videos before he made his next move.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Nakamura gave Natsuko an odd look.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" he asked. The journalist grinned like a wild cat.</p>
<p>"Look, look!" she said. Natsuko pulled out her file and opened it up. The detective looked down as the sounds of paper fluttering out. His eyes grew wide.</p>
<p>"Where did you get these?" he asked. Underneath them lay the police photos of the five crime scenes on his case. Each picture was crisp in detail and taken professionally. Natsuko smiled and tapped the side of her nose.</p>
<p>"I have my sources," she said.</p>
<p>"They probably won't hold up in court, you know?" he asked. "I'm already risking my job by coming here. I might get fired for this!" The detective looked around as if he thought the other patrons could be listening. His journalist friend gave him a little smile.</p>
<p>"It's worth it! Just go with me this," Natsuko insisted. She arranged the five crime scene photos on the bar.</p>
<p>"What do you see?" she asked. Nakamura looked down at the photos.</p>
<p>"The bodies," he said.</p>
<p>"And?" Natsuko asked. The detective frowned at her. His old "friend" smiled at him. She pointed down at the pictures.</p>
<p>"Look, look," Natsuko said. Nakamura rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"What am I looking at?" he asked. She pointed at the first picture. This was Awakusu-san. She lay on the floor, shot. The yakuza wife had been gunned down twice.</p>
<p>"Look at the little plates on the floor," Natsuko said.</p>
<p>"Okay… why?" the detective asked. The journalist pulled up the second photo. This was the soapland girl. The journalist pointed to the sheets in the picture.</p>
<p>"There are little rings here," she said. Natsuko slid out the third picture. This was the body positive YouTuber sitting at her kitchen table.</p>
<p>"The little cakes here," Natsuko said, pointing to them in the picture. She pulled out the fourth picture. This was the CEO who had melted gold poured down his throat.</p>
<p>"The yen coins on the desk," she said. Natsuko pulled out the last photo. This was the old lady in the bathtub. The journalist pointed to the bathroom floor.</p>
<p>"Shower rings on the bathroom floor," she said. Nakamura gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"So?" he asked. "What is the point you are trying to make?" Natsuko pouted at him.</p>
<p>"Don't you see it?" she asked.</p>
<p>"See what?" the detective asked. Natsuko groaned aloud as the excitement built up inside.</p>
<p>"The circles!" she shouted. "They all have circles in the pictures!" Nakamura took another look at all five of the pictures.</p>
<p>"So? What about them?" he asked. Natsuko's face was now just inches away from his. She grinned like a wild animal by now.</p>
<p>"These are the circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno!" she said. "Think about it!" The detective nearly fell of his stool.</p>
<p>"Gah!" he shouted.</p>
<p>"You get it now, right?" Natsuko asked. Nakamura blinked at her with a confused look on his face.</p>
<p>"How did you get to that conclusion?" he asked. His old "friend" gave him an innocent little shrug.</p>
<p>"It's just a little theory in progress," she said. Nakamura frowned as he stood up.</p>
<p>"And how I am supposed to work with that?" he asked. The journalist paid for her drink and stood up.</p>
<p>"You're the detective," she said. "You have to figure it out yourself." Natsuko bowed her head and walked out of the bar. The detective stared as he walked away. He gritted his teeth. Why did she have to drop off her crazy theories and walk off. But he couldn't get the connection out his head.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kururi is bored again. When she is bored, she gets creative. Ran wasn't picking up right now. Probably off working for Aozaki and the rest of the Awakusu. The queen bee rolled her eyes. Fine by her. He's making money at least. Not like she wanted his money. Kururi could get her own. Sometimes, sucking up to her brother had its perks. It sucked when he told her no.</p>
<p>She looked at her phone. Who should she make miserable tonight? Aoba? Chiyomi? Chiyomi was probably busy in a love hotel with her new boyfriend. Ikki was committed to his role in this scheme she had running. Maybe a little committed. Did he really love her?</p>
<p>Kururi shook her head. That wasn't her matter to bother with. Aoba it was then. The queen bee remembered a simple request from Tsukiyama.</p>
<p>"You want to do what?" Kururi asked three days ago. Her second-in-command looked nervous at first.</p>
<p>"I mean… it's just a thought," she said. "We don't actually have to do it." Kururi put up her hand. Tsukiyama went quiet.</p>
<p>"Kururi… -san?" she asked. The queen bee looked her in the eye.</p>
<p>"Your proposal an interesting idea," she said. "It just needs some work." Tsukiyama tilted her head.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked. Kururi gave her a devilish smile.</p>
<p>"Let me set it up," she said. "I will make it worth all of our whiles." Tsukiyama gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"All?" she asked. Kururi tapped her on the cheek.</p>
<p>"Why yes," she said.</p>
<p>Back in present day, the queen bee made the call. She smiled as she heard the other line ringing.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Aoba asked. Kururi perked up with a devilish smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Hey baby," she said. There was a pause on the other line.</p>
<p>"Hi…" he said slowly.</p>
<p>"I'm so bored and lonely," Kururi said, pouting. There came another pause.</p>
<p>"Kururi, please," Aoba pleaded. "I'm too tired right now." The queen bee frowned. This will not do.</p>
<p>"Come on, please," she said. "Don't leave me to play with my vibrators. I'd rather have fun with you." Kururi knew how to work her boyfriend. Deep down, Aoba was just a typical boy. Boys just want their bruised egos to be built back up. Her brother had been kicking her boyfriend a lot more lately. Maybe, she could boost him back up. He couldn't say no to her after all.</p>
<p>"Aw," Kururi said. "Please? I know nii-san has been tough on you this summer. I just want to give you some stress release. Is that too much to ask?" There was another pause over the phone. Finally, Aoba sighed.</p>
<p>"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll be right over." Kururi smiled like a hungry cat to herself.</p>
<p>"I'll be waiting," she said. The queen bee hung up. She had the guest of honor. Now to get the rest of the posse. Kururi dialed up another number.</p>
<p>"It's me," she said. "Yes, I got him. Come right over." The queen bee grinned to herself as she hung up.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Tsukumoya has been acting weird lately. Izaya frowned as his screen. He hadn't been able to talk to his source of information. However, something has happened. Izaya would ask him the usual questions. Just about the people in Ikebukuro. Tsukumoya answers with no problems. The information broker would ask questions about Tandeki. Again, the AI would answer questions normally.</p>
<p>But then came the next question.</p>
<p>"What can you tell me about the Diss Program?" Izaya typed. Suddenly, Tsukumoya just shut down. No response. No "I don't know". Just… Nothing. Izaya sat back and frowned.</p>
<p>"Hm," he said. "What are you up to now, Tsukumoya?" Suddenly, he heard pounding on the door. The information broker looked up.</p>
<p>"What the hell is that?" Izaya asked. The information broker took out his knife and waled up to the door.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"It's me," a muffled voice said. Izaya looked out the peep hole. Mari stood outside, trembling. A confused look came over his face. The information broker opened the door. Mari rushed inside, pushing past him.</p>
<p>"Mari… -tan?" he asked. Mari flopped down onto the couch and buried her face in her hands. She started to breathe heavily. Izaya walked over to her side.</p>
<p>"Mari-tan?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I screwed up!" she shouted through her hands.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Izaya asked. She looked at him through the cracks of her fingers. Mari broke down trembling. She lowered her hands as she started shaking her head. The programmer looked like she had seen someone get murdered. She tried to speak but her voice came out trembling.</p>
<p>"What are you saying?" Izaya asked. The programmer started to hyperventilate. Her words kept coming out all tangled up. Not even Izaya shaking her shoulder did anything to rouse her. The information broker turned and walked out of the room. When he came back, he had a bottle of beer in his hand.</p>
<p>"Here," he said. Mari snatched up the bottle without thinking. She was quick to drink up. But then she paused and coughed, nearly choking. Izaya rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"Oh that's right. You don't drink beer, do you?" he asked. Mari looked up at him, silent. Izaya took a seat next to her.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" Mari trembled at first.</p>
<p>"I think I messed up," she finally said. The programmer buried her head in her hands.</p>
<p>"I thought I was so careful!" she wailed. "I should've known they would be watching. Why didn't I think of them?"</p>
<p>"So what happened?" Izaya asked. Mari sighed and dropped her shoulders. She lifted her chin and sniffled.</p>
<p>"You know that I have been decoding the Diss Program, right?" Mari asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Izaya said. She took a heavy breath.</p>
<p>"I can't let the program be completed," Mari said. "It'll lead us all to doom faster."</p>
<p>"Then stop working on it," he said with a shrug. She shook her head.</p>
<p>"I can't. They would notice," Mari said. "So I would add new parts to the code by day and erase some of it by night. Just look like progress was going slow." She buried her head in hands and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Why the fuck did I think this was a good idea?!" the programmer wailed.</p>
<p>"And you're sure they've caught on?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"Yes!" Mari said. "I might have even put you in danger just by being here!" She had to force herself to calm down before speaking.</p>
<p>"Can I stay here for tonight?" the programmer asked. "Just for tonight will I figure out what to do next. I already have somewhere to disappear to in the morning. This is all going too far. I have to find a way to stop this." The information broker said nothing as she spilled out her panic.</p>
<p>"You haven't slept, have you?" he asked at last. Mari had a blank stare on her face. Izaya took hold of her by the shoulder and led her down the hall. The programmer was silent as she let him lead her away.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a pair of red glowing eyes watched them from the window. A cold smirk spread across their face.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Eight Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>A pale man with short dark hair walked up to the doors of Rampo Biotech. His eyes ached as he looked up at the building. This was the place. Anything to try and see again. The man felt around for the door and pushed it open.</p>
<p>The receptionist looked up from her computer when she heard someone coming in. A man felt around in the air for anything to hold onto.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?" she asked. The man paused.</p>
<p>"Yes?" he asked. It didn't take her long to figure out what he needed.</p>
<p>"Are you looking for Lab 528?" the receptionist asked. The pale man perked up.</p>
<p>"Why yes!" he said. "Can you show me the way? I am afraid that my vision is getting worse. I think I might be going blind."</p>
<p>"Sure," she said with caution in her voice. The receptionist came from behind the desk and walked over to the man.</p>
<p>"Follow my voice this way," she said.</p>
<p>"Thank you, darling," the man said. They walked over to the elevator.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Daichi and Osamu were already waiting in the lab.</p>
<p>"I will take this one," Daichi said.</p>
<p>"Go ahead," his partner said. The door started to buzz. Daichi walked keypad and punched in the code. The door slid open. The receptionist stood with the pale man.</p>
<p>"I had to guide him here," she explained. "I will leave you to your business now. Excuse me." She bowed and walked away. The pale man tried to look at who was in front of him.</p>
<p>"Good afternoon, sir," Daichi said. "Right this way." He had to lead their guest into the lab.</p>
<p>"Can you actually get these ugly glasses off of me?" the man asked. "I can't see shit." Daichi looked up and down. His eyes stayed on the large silver-framed glasses. He had to admit that they were a bit gaudy.</p>
<p>"There, there," the younger man said. "We can help you out. Please hold out your hand." The pale man raised his eyebrow.</p>
<p>"What for?" he asked.</p>
<p>"This will help you," Daichi said. "Just hold out your hand." The pale man held out his hand. The younger man opened the pill bottle and dropped the pill into that pale guest's hand. Daichi opened up a bag and held it underneath him.</p>
<p>"This will work, right?" the guest asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Daichi said. The pale man popped the pill into his mouth. His body shivered and the glasses fell off his face. They fell right into the bag. Daichi quickly closed the bag. Osamu walked around for a look.</p>
<p>"So, how are you doing?" he asked. The pale man blinked and rubbed his eyes. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Is that what you guys actually look like?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Oh, no, no," Daichi said. "We're just wearing masks. You will have to see our faces outside of work." The pale man thought about that for a moment.</p>
<p>"I might do that some other time," he said at last. "But first, I have something else to do." The pale man turned and walked out the door.</p>
<p>"See you around," he said. The door slid shut behind him. Daichi and Osamu went back to work until they had to go up to Kitano's office.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Nakamura poured over the crime scene photos. Natsuko's words jingled in his head. Could there really be a theme to these seemingly unrelated cases? That didn't make any sense. None of the victims were even connected. But still…</p>
<p>He looked up when he heard the door open. One of his partners stood in the doorway. Nakamura sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Oh, it's you," he said. His partner cocked her head.</p>
<p>"Still working that case?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Nakamura said. "In fact, Suki, could you come over here and look at this?" The detective gave him an odd look as she walked over to him.</p>
<p>"What is it?" she asked. Nakamura moved aside to look at the pictures on the table.</p>
<p>"Do you notice anything about these pictures?" he asked. Suki took a long look.</p>
<p>"What am I looking at?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Do you notice anything in common in the pictures?" Nakamura asked. "Look at them closely." His partner looked down at the pictures in front of her. She raised an eyebrow at looking hard at all five of them.</p>
<p>"Why are there little circles in each picture?" Suki asked.</p>
<p>"Exactly!" Nakamura said. His partner looked at him.</p>
<p>"What does this all mean?" she asked. The main detective put down his pen.</p>
<p>"Tell me, Suki," he said. "Are you familiar with the book <em>The Divine Comedy</em>?" he asked. The female detective took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"I think I have…" she said.</p>
<p>"What about <em>Dante's Inferno</em>?" Nakamura asked.</p>
<p>"I have, actually," Suki said. She paused for a moment. "Wait… Are you saying…?" Her partner shrugged.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "It's just a theory." But his gut was now telling him otherwise.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Izaya frowned as his phones. His inboxes were filled with messages from an unknown number. He tried to block them but the number kept popping back up. Tsukumoya wasn't much help either. The AI wouldn't respond to any questions that he had. Izaya was pretty much alone on this.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the information broker froze and jerked his head around. If Mari was back in his room asleep, then who's in the living room with him? Izaya pulled out his knife.</p>
<p>"Who's there?" he asked. The information broker turned around when he heard giggling. Izaya narrowed his eyes and pointed his knife.</p>
<p>"Well, well, well!" a voice said. "Orihara Izaya! We finally meet at last!" Izaya whipped around to the couch. He spotted a pale man with short dark hair dressed in white robes. He gave him a catlike smirk.</p>
<p>"Yo," he said with a wave.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The heartseed plant started to pulse again. Etsuko and Kitano looked at the dull amber color rippling around like a carousal. At one point, the amber turned to brown. The colors started to spin and blend into waves.</p>
<p>"A new evolution already?" Etsuko asked. "What is this going to lead to?" Kitano pulled out his little black book and began to scan through his notes.</p>
<p>"What are the colors doing again?" he asked. Etsuko narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>"They keep changing from amber to brown," she said. Kitano looked up and lowered his book.</p>
<p>"I've never seen it do that before," he said. He stood up and walked over to the bonded planet. He ran his finger down the glass.</p>
<p>"This should be interesting," he said. The glowing of the Heartseed grew stronger.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-8:00 a.m.-</p>
<p>Nakamura had to make a statement to the press. He stood with the chief of police at the podium. The detective walked up to the microphone. He took a deep breath.</p>
<p>"Good morning," he said. "We have a potential lead in the case for the Dante Killer."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Senbo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Seventeen: Senbo:</p>
<p>"Dante Killer, I actually like that," Kitano said as he was watching the Ikebukuro PD press conference. "It has a nice ring to it." He turned back to Daichi and Osamu.</p>
<p>"Anyway," he said. "You have it, right?"</p>
<p>"Yes, yes," Daichi said. "Here it is." He handed over the bagged up glasses. Kitano turned the bag over back and forth.</p>
<p>"Good," he said. "These look really nice."</p>
<p>"He didn't like them, though," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"Well, I don't blame him," Kitano said. "He had to wear them to seal off his power. Probably couldn't see where he was going either." He looked up at Daichi and Osamu.</p>
<p>"Well, that's that," the therapist said. Kitano walked over to the altar. By now, it was shaking and glowing a hazy black light. The therapist opened the bag and dumped the glasses into the right slot. The altar went still as the light grew intense. Kitano looked behind him.</p>
<p>"Come take a look at this," he said. Daichi and Osamu walked over to the shrine. The men looked down at the six little charms before them. Lust's locket, gluttony's flask, greed's wallet, sloth's watch, wrath's gun, and the glasses. All of that items were turning black. Only one empty slot remained.</p>
<p>"We still need one more slot, right?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"That's right," Kitano said. He turned to the men.</p>
<p>"You should be seeing her in a couple of days," the therapist said.</p>
<p>"Her?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "Oh, and there's going to be an inner circle meeting later this evening." Daichi and Osamu looked at each other for a moment.</p>
<p>"Are one of the other groups on the move?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "I will go into more details this evening. Right now, you just get back to work." Daichi and Osamu bowed before leaving his office. Kitano looked down at his altar. Just one more charm and the next round can begin. However, Tandeki wasn't the only one getting ahead in this game. It would only be a matter of time before the effects of Michael's awakening came from them out in Japan.</p>
<p>This could hinder them or this could play in their favor.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Izaya held up his knife. "And who may I ask are you?" His unwanted guest pondered.</p>
<p>"Oh come on," he said. "You know who I am!" The information broker shook his head.</p>
<p>"No… I don't," he said. The pale man frowned and shook his head.</p>
<p>"You know who I am," he said. "Don't you remember?" Izaya narrowed his eyes. Little sparks clicked in his head. The information broker frowned.</p>
<p>"You again?" he asked. The man smirked.</p>
<p>"I'm so glad that you remember me!" he said. Izaya still kept up his knife. The pale man looked like a hurt little puppy. The information broker rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" he asked. His unwanted guest eyed him.</p>
<p>"You know what I want," he said.</p>
<p>"No, I don't," Izaya said. The man folded his arms across his chest.</p>
<p>"You ought to know," he said.</p>
<p>"Get out," the information broker said. The older man put up his hands.</p>
<p>"Fine," he said. "Fine." The man stood up and started walking out of the room. Izaya watched him with his knife out. His unwanted guest stopped at the door. He looked over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"I will see you tomorrow for our duel," the man said in a low voice. And then he was gone. Izaya turned around as the slammed shut. Right then, he remembered what was coming next. The information broker looked down the hall before pulling out all three phones. It would only be just a matter of time…</p>
<hr/>
<p>In the early morning hours, a young woman with long blonde hair appeared in the city. She stood in the street and looked around. It's quiet. Too quiet. The woman pushed that thought out of her head. He needed his daily "medicine".</p>
<p>She straightened her skirt and began her walk. The whole time, she kept her eyes open around her. The smell of demons made her want the wretch. The woman shook her head and tried to focus.</p>
<p>She turned around when she heard a sound. A little boy about seven years old looked up at her. He held an ice cream cone in his right hand. The woman narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>"Tell me something," she said. "Are you a good boy?"</p>
<p>"Yes," the child said. The woman leaned in closer.</p>
<p>"Don't lie to me," she said in low voice. "Are you a good boy?"</p>
<p>"Yes," the child said. The woman's eyes flashed red.</p>
<p>"I said don't lie to me," she said. Her voice turned into a growl. For a second, her face looked like a demonic mask. The boy froze with big eyes. The woman smirked and looked normal again. The child stared at her like she was going to eat him. She patted him on the head.</p>
<p>"Now you be good and stay away from demons," the woman said. "Run along." The child turned and ran. The woman smiled to herself and walked on to her destination.</p>
<p>Along the way, she found an old skateboard left on the side of the road. The woman picked it up and looked it over.</p>
<p>"Hm," she said. The woman set it on the ground and skated off to her destination.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Around ten in the morning, another knock came on the door. Izaya rolled his eyes. What is it now? The information broker pulled out his knife and walked up to the door.</p>
<p>"Who is it?" he asked. Izaya looked through the peep hole. A young man with short blonde hair stood outside. As if on instinct, Izaya opened the door. His new guest looked about his age.</p>
<p>"Oh, it's you," Izaya said. The young man clicked his tongue.</p>
<p>"You got the text yet?" he asked. The information broker pulled out his main phone.</p>
<p>"This one?" he asked. The young man read the screen. He could see the string of numbers going across.</p>
<p>"Okay," the young man said. Izaya narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"You're here to take me there, right?" he asked. The young man snorted.</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Let's just get this over with." The young man turned and walked out the door. Izaya tilted his head.</p>
<p>"Are you coming or not?" his new companion asked. The information broker shrugged.</p>
<p>"Coming," he said with a sigh. Izaya followed after the young man. He turned to his new fighting buddy.</p>
<p>"You don't really like me, do you?" he asked. The young man rolled his eyes as he kept a distance.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A tape recorder clicks on.</p>
<p>A woman in her forties looks down with her hands in her lap. Kitano watched the woman squirm in her seat on the couch.</p>
<p>"How are you holding up from your loss?"</p>
<p>She took a heavy breath. "I'm still coping." The woman paused for a moment.</p>
<p>"Take a moment if you need to."</p>
<p>His patient nodded. The clock ticked in the background. She looked over at the window.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to open the window?" Kitano asked. The woman shook her head. The therapist sat in place. His patient's eyes welled up with tears.</p>
<p>"It's so hard. Sometimes, I think she's going to come in and say, 'hi mom!' But when I turn around, there is no one there." She put her hand to her chest.</p>
<p>"It just hurts too much." Thin tears ran down her cheeks.</p>
<p>"Who do you blame for your daughter's death?"</p>
<p>"All of them."</p>
<p>"All of them?"</p>
<p>"Her classmates, the school, me."</p>
<p>"Who would you blame the must? If you had to choose."</p>
<p>"Her classmates. They did this to her. She was a happy girl until she started high school."</p>
<p>"How do you feel about them?"</p>
<p>The woman took in a deep breath and lifted her chin. "I don't really want to say it here."</p>
<p>"You are in a safe space. Anything you say will stay within these walls."</p>
<p>She looked out the window as she trembled. "I wish they would all die. Murders, all of them! Some of them don't even feel any remorse! My baby girl didn't deserve what they put her through! Why should they get to go on and live their lives while my daughter doesn't? It's just not fair."</p>
<p>"Do you want to hurt them like they hurt your daughter?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"Do you want to kill them?"</p>
<p>The woman lifted her chin and took in another breath. She gave up on really saying how she felt at this point.</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"If you were given the chance, would you?"</p>
<p>She froze. "I… I don't know."</p>
<p>"Do you need a moment?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"Okay."</p>
<p>Kitano reached over and hit stop on the tape recorder.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The woman skated along the streets. She could see the apartment up ahead. The journey had been rather simple. No guys to harass her. Then again, the woman was invisible. Only that little boy was able to see her. She would will herself to be seen once she met up with him. The woman skated closer to the apartment building. Oh and look, he's coming home right now.</p>
<p>Mikado was just about to go up the stairs to his apartment when he heard the wheels of a skateboard getting closer. Already, he could tell who coming. He looked up in time to see the woman on her skateboard.</p>
<p>"Charlotte," Mikado said. She pulled up to him and stepped off the board.</p>
<p>"Yo!" she said. The tadpole's eyes shifted back and forth. Charlotte looked the same as she did when he last saw her. Her long curled blonde hair came down to her waist. She was dressed to go work in a bar. She stared at him with those small red eyes. Charlotte was lovely and she knew it. But then he froze. If she was here then…</p>
<p>"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Charlotte said.</p>
<p>"Give it to me straight," Mikado said. "How bad is it?" She moved up closer to him.</p>
<p>"We don't know yet," she said. "But we need to keep feeding you."</p>
<p>"Feed me?" he asked. Charlotte took him by the cheeks and kissed him on the lips. Mikado could feel a spine run through his body. More memories started to feel his head. He felt cold when she pulled away. Mikado forced himself to focus.</p>
<p>"How many more of you are coming?" he asked.</p>
<p>"All of us," Charlotte said. "We will all be coming in shifts to feed you."</p>
<p>"Shifts?" the tadpole asked.</p>
<p>"That's right," she said. "Though we might not be enough." Mikado narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"Don't tell me…" he began to say. Charlotte gently patted him on the back.</p>
<p>"This is the only way," she said. "It has to be with a consensual partner for it work effectively." Mikado stood quietly. Right then, he know what had to be done. Charlotte gave him a curious look as if she heard what she was thinking.</p>
<p>"Oh? Have you made your decision on how to fix your little problem?" she asked. Mikado walked past her back down to 7-11. The woman smirked to herself.</p>
<p>"I believe you have," she said. Charlotte vanished into thin air.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Please give me more," Chiyomi pleaded. "Pretty please!" She rode Ikki on the hotel of a seedy love hotel. Her boyfriend looked up at her.</p>
<p>"But you already took one, didn't you?" he asked. She looked down with a glazed look in her eyes.</p>
<p>"It's not enough at all," she whimpered. "Please?" The thug boyfriend smirked and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Geez, you're hopeless, Chiyomi-chan," he said. Ikki reached over for his little baggie on the nightstand and pulled out another little pink pill. He placed it on her tongue. Chiyomi smiled back the pill and threw back her head. She let out small whimpering noises.</p>
<p>"You really do like those pills, don't you?" Ikki asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah!" his girlfriend screamed. "It's all Ikki-kun's fault that I got hooked into having sex while I'm high." She moaned as she pounded harder. Her moaned circled the ceiling.</p>
<p>"It's my fault?" her boyfriend asked. "You're just a little slut, aren't you Chiyomi-chan?" He moaned as she went as hard as she can go. Chiyomi only moaned in response.</p>
<p>"Slut?" she asked. "I'm fine with being called a slut, so…" Ikki leaned up towards her face. She glazed into his eyes with a dreamy, drugged look.</p>
<p>"Please kiss me," she said. "I'm close to coming." Ikki smirked at her.</p>
<p>"What am I going to do with you, Chiyomi-chan?" he asked. "You always come when we French kiss." He leaned and kissed her on the lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. Just as he predicted, Chiyomi reached her climax.</p>
<p>It doesn't take much for Ikki to fall asleep after sex sometimes. Chiyomi on the other hand couldn't sleep. Things seemed to be going great for her so far. But something just didn't sit well with her. Ikki and Chiyomi had been dating for a few weeks. He showered her with attention. They would see each other two or three times a week. Every time they had sex, Ikki would get her Cherry Boy Pills. Plus, Chiyomi had just gotten into trying Molly thanks to Kururi. It was like she became a different person while she was high. The girl shivered as she thought about how frightening and exciting this felt.</p>
<p>Things between her and Kururi seemed fine. Chiyomi always felt so small around her. Her dear friend seemed like the perfect queen. All of the boys and even some girls loved her. Kururi knows what she wants. Meanwhile, Chiyomi always felt invisible in their group. She would either be at home or out to one corner with Aoba, not saying a word. That changed a little bit about two weeks ago. It was just her and Kururi hitting the club that night. Despite that boy dragging them out and making them go home, that was a good night. Chiyomi even got to try molly. But still, she couldn't connect with anyone else outside drugs, partying, and sex.</p>
<p>Chiyomi shook her head. <em>What is wrong with me?</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Kitano called his inner circle for a meeting in the middle of the night. They already had an idea of what was coming next.</p>
<p>"Which one is acting now?" Junko asked.</p>
<p>"Vozrozhdeniye," Kitano said. The nurse rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Are they still pouting about not having your tadpoles?" she asked.</p>
<p>"So what is the next move?" Etsuko asked. Kitano plugged in a flash drive into his laptop. He opened up and video in the folder.</p>
<p>"I received this from an unknown source two days ago," he said. The therapist hit play. The inner circle took a watch. A pale and skinny woman sat on the floor. The front of her white gown was covered in something like blood. Her bright blonde hair covered her face. A man in a plague doctor suit walked up to her. He placed gloved hand down onto her head. The man spoke in Russian. There were no subtitles in the clip. He lifted the woman's head. She let off a loud hiss. Despite the grainy image, the audience could clearly see her fang. The woman lunged forward for a bite. The man pushed her back. He said something else in Russian. There came more hisses and growls. The man patted her on the head.</p>
<p>The video stopped.</p>
<p>"Uh… what was that?" Osamu asked. Kitano closed up the folder.</p>
<p>"I believe they are trying to make the answer to our dear pets," he said. "From everything that I have seen, they are catching up to us."</p>
<p>"Is this all they have?" Aya asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "And they are heading here to run a test."</p>
<p>"And you want intel on this creature so you can know what to do?" Etsuko asked. Osamu wrinkled his nose and snorted.</p>
<p>"Are you going to send Izaya out there again?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Not this time," Kitano said. They all looked up at him.</p>
<p>"You can't be serious," Daichi said.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid so," the therapist said. "He's preoccupied at the moment." Aya raised her hand.</p>
<p>"I can lend Dom out for this job," she offered up. Kitano raised his eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Can he speak Russian?" Junko asked.</p>
<p>"A little bit," the therapist said. "But it would be enough." Kitano took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"Good enough," he said. "Send him out this afternoon."</p>
<p>"Yes, sensei," Aya said, bowing. Junko frowned and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Very good," Kitano said. "That is all. Have good night." Everyone bowed and went their separate ways.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Are we there yet?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"No," the young man said. The information broker frowned.</p>
<p>"Have I offended you, Shuichi-kun?" he asked. The tadpole narrowed his eyes at him. Izaya put up his hands.</p>
<p>"Okay, okay," he said. "Geez." Shuichi snorted. He had better things to do with his time. Why did he have to get dragged into this headache?</p>
<p>"So lame," he said under his breath.</p>
<p>"What did you say?" Izaya asked. The tadpole man shook his head.</p>
<p>The men kept walking down the street. The information broker noticed that there were suddenly no more people around. He held his knife by his side. Shuichi turned to the right down a dirt road. Izaya followed him until they came down to their destination.</p>
<p>"Oh," Izaya said. He and Shuichi ended up in a graveyard. The tadpole snorted.</p>
<p>"Fitting in way, somehow," he said. The men looked up when they heard someone clapping. The pale man in the white and black rooms came out from around a headstone. He held out his arms.</p>
<p>"Welcome, welcome," the man said. "You finally made it." Shuichi rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"Can we just get this over with?" he asked. The man pouted like a little hurt puppy.</p>
<p>"Aw, where's the fun in that?" he asked. Shuichi folded his arms across his chest. Izaya had his knife pointed out to the man. The pale man threw back his head and groaned.</p>
<p>"Fine, whatever," he said. He held out his arms.</p>
<p>"I am Senbo, the deity of envy," he said. "We have one hour to fight. You either have to defeat me or time runs out. Don't worry about the headstones. We are surrounded in a barrier. Anything we do won't effective this graveyard. See, look." Senbo picked up a rock and tossed it towards a headstone. The rock flew back into his hand.</p>
<p>"See?" he asked. "Now, I will give your three questions to ask."</p>
<p>"Why are you all here?" Izaya asked. Senbo smirked.</p>
<p>"We are here to add to the game," he said. "The ending is coming, my friends. We might as well embrace it with open arms. Next question."</p>
<p>"What is the point of all of this?" Shuichi asked. Senbo had a huge grin on his face. He held out his arms.</p>
<p>"This is out welcoming back into the living world!" the deity shouted. "We need our powers back. Next question."</p>
<p>"What do you know about the Diss Program?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"No," Senbo said. He reached into his coat and pulled out his knives. "Enough with the games. We fight now." Shuichi had his needles ready with the information broker had more knives.</p>
<p>Izaya was used to dodging human opponents. He could dodge them with ease. But this was not a human he was dealing with.</p>
<p>"Too slow," Senbo said behind him. Izaya whipped around with big eyes.</p>
<p>Wham!</p>
<p>The information broker fell down to the ground. He rolled out of the way in time. Senbo laughed aloud.</p>
<p>"Get up, boy!" he shouted. Izaya gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet. He chucked his first knife and his opponent. Senbo jumped out of the way in time.</p>
<p>"Is that the best you can do?" he asked. He came out the information broker with his knives again. This time, Izaya was able to dodge in time. Meanwhile, Shuichi pulled out his needles and threw them at Senbo. The deity was able the fend them off with his knife.</p>
<p>"Come on, now!" he shouted. "You can do better than that! You are starting to bore me!" Izaya sailed towards him with two knives. Senbo jumped out the way in time. Shuichi clinched his teeth. They couldn't keep this going. If there was some way to…</p>
<p>Izaya reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pair of silver scissors. Shuichi looked up in time to see the information broker throw them right at his target.</p>
<p>-Moments Earlier-</p>
<p>"By the way, here," Shuichi said. He handed Izaya the scissors. The information broker looked down at the tool.</p>
<p>"What is this for?" he asked.</p>
<p>"This will help you win," the tadpole said. "It's made from Purgatory itself. Just take it." The information broker shrugged and took the scissors. He stashed them in his coat.</p>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>Senbo turned his head. He smirked as he shook his head.</p>
<p>"Really?" he asked. "You might as well just give up and stop wasting my—"</p>
<p>Stab!</p>
<p>The tip of the scissors went right into his throat. Izaya smirked as Senbo slowly reached up to feel the cold metal. The deity slowly fell to his knees, gasping. Blood started pouring from the wound. Izaya didn't say a word as his opponent fell to the ground. He smirked to himself. Somehow, a deity dying in a graveyard felt so fitting.</p>
<p>"Heh," Izaya said. "Looks like this match is mine." But then, he looked up when he heard low groaning. Senbo pulled out the scissors and leapt to his feet.</p>
<p>"You actually managed to make this fight more interesting," he said. "Well done. Well done." The deity clapped aloud.</p>
<p>"Well done! Well done!" he shouted. Shuichi tilted his head with a confused look on his face. Senbo bowed with grace.</p>
<p>"Goodbye," the deity said. He floated up into the air and disappeared. Shuichi threw his hands up in the air.</p>
<p>"Welp, I'm done here," he said. "I hope that I never have to see your face again. Bye." The tadpole teleported away, leaving Izaya all alone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When Mari woke up around noon, she made another mistake. She just had to go on her laptop and take a look at the last point where she worked on the Diss Project. The programmer didn't know why she was doing this. Maybe instinct compelled her to do this.</p>
<p>When she did, the color drained from her face.</p>
<p>"Oh no…" she murmured. Suddenly, the situation grew even worse.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meanwhile, Izaya walked back home alone with his phone in his hand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Tsukumoya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Eighteen: Tsukumoya:</p>
<p>"Now, tell me again what happened," Vanessa said. Miiko took a deep breath.</p>
<p>"Shinra came into the lobby," she began again.</p>
<p>"Okay," the manager said.</p>
<p>"I erased the name off the judgement list," Miiko said. "We couldn't have him dead. So, I called Kishitani-sensei to the back with me." Victor stood behind her, matching. The receptionist lifted her head.</p>
<p>"We decided to you the Book of Osiris to perform the resurrection ritual on the doctor," she said.</p>
<p>"No, you decided that!" Victor said. "I said this was a bad idea!"</p>
<p>"Victor, please," Vanessa said. She turned back to the receptionist.</p>
<p>"Walk me through what happened," the manager said. "What all did you do?" Miiko closed her eyes for a moment. She drew another breath and opened her eyes.</p>
<p>"I had the book translated," the receptionist said. "Got all of the ingredients from the garden in the back. I had two people translate while we performed the ritual."</p>
<p>"And then?" Vanessa asked.</p>
<p>"I sent him along," Miiko said. She paused, waiting. Vanessa eyed her with an eyebrow raised.</p>
<p>"What all did you use?" she asked. "Do you still have the list?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Miiko said.</p>
<p>"May I see it?" Vanessa asked. The receptionist handed her the list.</p>
<p>"Thank you," the manager said. She read over the list. Miiko waited with bated breath. Victor walked up next to her. Vanessa lifted her head.</p>
<p>"Come look at this," she said. Miiko and Victor crowded around her for a better look. Vanessa pointed to the bottom of the list.</p>
<p>"Tell me what that says there," she said. Miiko narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>"Nightshade?" she asked. She turned to Vanessa. The manager booked out the Book of Osiris. She had it open with the spell in question. She pointed to the last ingredient on the page.</p>
<p>"You were supposed get oleander," Vanessa said. "Why didn't you get me to translate this for you?" Miiko lowered her head.</p>
<p>"We didn't have time," I said. "The veil was going to be thick in a few days. We had to act fast in this war!" Vanessa gave her a calm smile as she patted her on the head.</p>
<p>"I understand," she said. "But you have to do some things properly." Miiko's lower lip trembled.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry," she whimpered.</p>
<p>"You should've come to me for help," Vanessa said. "But we can't focus on the past right now." She walked over to her desk and pulled open the drawer.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Miiko asked. The manager turned with a brush and ink.</p>
<p>"We are going to fix the problem in person," she said. "You and Victor are going to come with me."</p>
<p>"Yes ma'am!" Miiko and Victor were quick to say. They came on either side of Vanessa and held her wrists. The manager closed her eyes and began chanting a spell under her breath.</p>
<p>The trio vanished into thin air.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Six Days Earlier-</p>
<p>Mari sat in the basement typing away on her computer. She didn't like where the Diss Program was going. The more she decoded the program, the stranger things got. It's the supercomputer in the basement seemed to have a mind of its own. Mari couldn't shake the feeling that the computer was watching her. Right now, the programmer shivered.</p>
<p>"What is the matter?" Yoemon's voice asked over the speaker. Mari tried to ignore him.</p>
<p>"Why would you talk to me?" the voice asked. The programmer kept typing away. She would have to find a way to crash and shut down the program before it was too late.</p>
<p>Suddenly, she turned around when she heard the doors slide open. Etsuko stood in the doorway. Mari gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"Asato-sensei?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" The doctor walked over to her computer.</p>
<p>"How are you coming with Diss Program?" Etsuko asked. Mari didn't turn around.</p>
<p>"Good," she said. "Everything is going good." The typing became slower on the keyboard.</p>
<p>"Not having any problems lately?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"No," Mari said. She forced her eyes onto the screen.</p>
<p>"Tell me something, Mari," Etsuko said. "Are you familiar with <em>The Odyssey</em>?"</p>
<p>"Yes," the programmer said.</p>
<p>"Cunning Odysseus angered Poseidon for not giving thanks for the victory in the Trojan War," the doctor said. "And as punishment, Odysseus ended taking ten more years to get home to his beloved wife and precious son."</p>
<p>"Okay…" Mari said. "Where are you going with this?" Etsuko waved her hand around as she talked.</p>
<p>"Meanwhile, his wife Penelope had to fend of countless suitors staying in her palace waiting to take Odysseus' place," she went on. "To stall making her choice of who her second husband, Penelope started waving a tapestry and every night she would undo her weaving to make the process longer than it needed to me."</p>
<p>"What are you saying?" Mari asked. Etsuko leaned down to the younger woman's ear.</p>
<p>"I think you are Penelope," she whispered. "The Diss Program is your loom. I know that you have been deleting some of the chord after hours. It would be in your best interest to stop doing that. But you wouldn't be doing something so stupid like that, would you?" Mari froze. She didn't answer and she didn't show a reaction. Etsuko stood back and smiled.</p>
<p>"Of course you wouldn't," she said. "Because you know how important this is for all of us. Keep up the good work." The doctor turned and walked out of the basement. Mari's stomach dropped as she her the door slide closed.</p>
<p>-Present Day-</p>
<p>Mari sat on a hotel bed, trembling. Somebody had to have told on her. But who would do such a thing? She was careful not to erase the codes on the supercomputers in the Rampo basement. It had only been on her personal laptop. Only she had access to that. She never used net cafés or library computers for the Diss Program either.</p>
<p>That thought alone led to a sobering realization. Mari looked over at her laptop bag sitting on the bed. She hadn't touched her computer since yesterday. But would that be enough to slow down the process over the internet?</p>
<p>Mari didn't want to think about that scenario.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Walker has been in jail for three weeks. He started to remember everything that happened after he got arrested. This had happened before. They booked him the night he was arrested. Since then, Walker had been in his cell.</p>
<p>Strangely, he's been so calm. Walker couldn't explain it. Maybe because he had his ear to the ground. The guards and inmates talk. Boy did they have some juicy things to say. Mostly about the Dante Killer on the loose. But there was some other creepy things happening in Ikebukuro. Walker had a feeling it had something to do with the deity that he fought weeks earlier. Speaking of which, Walker had the feeling that wasn't going to be the last time he saw him.</p>
<p>Last night, a new inmate was placed in the cell next to Walker. The otaku got a good look at him. This newbie was about his age. He kept his head down. The otaku watched him being placed in the cell. Curious, Walker had to have a look. The guards uncuffed the prisoner and walked off.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Walker asked. There was no response at first. The otaku drew his knees to his chest and waited.</p>
<p>"Hello?" the man said back in a soft voice. Walker turned his head.</p>
<p>"What are you in here for?" he asked. There was a pause. The otaku walked over and looked out of the bars. Something about this guy held his attention.</p>
<p>"Don't want to talk about it?" Walker asked. The prisoner didn't answer. The otaku leaned against the wall.</p>
<p>"Okay, I will tell you why I'm here," he said. "I beat up a guy over manga. They say I tried to kill him."</p>
<p>"Did you?" the newbie asked. Walker shook his head.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "It just happened." There came another pause.</p>
<p>"Are you dangerous?" the newbie asked. Walker kind of chuckled to himself.</p>
<p>"That would depend," he said.</p>
<p>"On what?" the newbie asked. The otaku smirked to himself.</p>
<p>"Are you an enemy?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No?" the other prisoner said. Walker lay down on the floor.</p>
<p>"Then, no," he said. "What about you? Are you dangerous?" At first, there was a long pause. The newbie mumbled to himself.</p>
<p>"Hm?" Walker asked. He managed to catch the answer that he heard before.</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>Walker could tell where this was going.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado stood outside of the 7-11. His talk with Charlotte was enough to push him to do what he needed to do. The tadpole was at least going to be doing this right.</p>
<p>Alright, this was awkward.</p>
<p>The tadpole boy drew in a breath. Mikado walked up the glass doors. He just hoped that many people weren't inside.</p>
<p>Lucky for him, there only about four five people in the store. Good. Mikado breathed out in relief. He just needed to grab what he needed and get out. Don't talk to anybody and don't make any eye contact. It was good thing he looked his age.</p>
<p>Mikado made a B-line to the family planning aisle. He didn't dare to look up. Only Naomi could help him out.</p>
<p>"You want me to do what?" she asked. Mikado looked away with a bright red face.</p>
<p>"Can you make me enough money to buy a lot of condoms?" he mumbled out. Naomi raised her eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Why do need condoms?" she asked. It sounded like a dumb question to ask out loud. Mikado show her his wrist. Naomi winced at the red and scratched up skin.</p>
<p>"What happened to your wrist?" she asked. Mikado's cheeks burned bright red.</p>
<p>"I got poisoned by Yokubo when she bit my wrist in our fight," he said. "I think it's starting to take effect on me."</p>
<p>"Effect like…?" Naomi began to ask.</p>
<p>"I can hear them whispering from hell. Sometimes, I see the shadows following me from the corner of my eye," Mikado explained. The older blinked before it sank in.</p>
<p>"Oh!" she said with relief. "It's just that." Mikado narrowed his eyes but brushed off the thought running through his head.</p>
<p>"Anyway, can you help me?" he asked. Naomi quickly nodded.</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah, sure," she said. "Hang on."</p>
<p>"Thank you," Mikado said. He handed her the plastic yen bills for her to work with.</p>
<p>He shoved in boxes of condoms in his basket. If all went right, he would be able to try and stop the spread of the poison. Mikado took a quick look around. Good, no one is looking around. He quickly made his way up to the front desk. The clerk looked up at him with her eyebrow raised. She looked down at the boxes of condoms and whistled.</p>
<p>"Oh!" the clerk said. "Hot date tonight?" Mikado's face burned red.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said in a low voice. The clerk giggled and rang up the condoms. Mikado couldn't hold eye contact with her. He paid the amount total with Naomi's bills. The clerk tried to give him back his change.</p>
<p>"Keep the change," Mikado said in one breath. He grabbed his bag and hurried out of the 7-11.</p>
<p>"Good luck on your date!" the clerk shouted after him. That was enough to make him run as fast as he could out of the store.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Camera Turns On-</p>
<p>
  <em>So how does it feel to be called the Dante Killer?</em>
</p>
<p>DK shrugged. "What is there to say? It's true, isn't it? My kills look like the circles of hell, do they not? So, it fits."</p>
<p>
  <em>So who will be your next kill?</em>
</p>
<p>"I don't know yet. I haven't had the urge to kill lately. My boss and my mother are dead. I am just relaxed now."</p>
<p>
  <em>Do you need a new motive?</em>
</p>
<p>DK looked out at the person talking. "Like what?"</p>
<p>
  <em>I don't know. What do you think you need?</em>
</p>
<p>She took a moment to think. "You might be right on the idea. I will have to see."</p>
<p>-Camera Turns Off-</p>
<hr/>
<p>-DK-</p>
<p>I don't look like a murderer. But it's always the ones you least expect. I looked at my phone as I waited for the train. I watched that detective's press conference from yesterday.</p>
<p>"Good morning," he said on the video. "We have a potential lead in the case for the Dante Killer." I rewound the last part.</p>
<p>"We have a potential lead in the case for the Dante Killer." I rewound it again.</p>
<p>"Dante Killer." Again.</p>
<p>"Dante Killer." Again.</p>
<p>"Dante Killer." Again.</p>
<p>I couldn't help but smile. I guess it is true about serial killers. They do like to relive the glory of their kills. But I didn't take any trophies. I can't have anything that will tie back to me. I have been so careful but now I have a problem.</p>
<p>I checked the train schedule. Ten minutes before the next train, huh? I looked out onto the platform. I'm losing the motive to kill. Before, I was stressed and angry. But I took out those sources of stress and rage. The new boss is a vast improvement from the previous fat fuck that made my life living hell over the past two years. Now, I feel so calm. I can just relax.</p>
<p>However, I am not finished.</p>
<p>I still have five more circles to go. I have completed limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, and wrath. I already know what's coming next. Maybe my therapist is right. I do need a new motive to kill. I looked up when I heard the train pull up into the station. I slipped my phone back into my purse and walked into the crowd of people boarding the train.</p>
<p>They won't even notice me at all.</p>
<hr/>
<p>On the surface, Shinra acted normal. He was his usual laid back self. He did his house chores and took care of underground patients like before he was murdered. Shinra wouldn't stop fawning over Celty. Okay, so he did it a little bit more than usual.</p>
<p>"Who knows if I get taken away from you again?" Shinra asked. "I wouldn't be able to take it." If Celty could shake her head, she would've. To be fair, he did get a chance to come back to life.</p>
<p>But something seemed off.</p>
<p>There was this need that time was running out. Celty had this need to stay by Shinra's side. At nights, she would hear whispering around the doctor as he slept. Last night, the dullahan saw a shadowy figure standing over her boyfriend. That was enough to convince Celty of the worse.</p>
<p>The dullahan couldn't keep quiet anymore.</p>
<p>[Shinra, we need to talk,] she typed on her PDA. Shinra gave her a puppy-like pout.</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked.</p>
<p>[Are you okay?] she typed. Shinra looked up at her from the screen.</p>
<p>"Of course I am!" he said. "Why wouldn't I be?" Celty took a moment to think about how she would go about this. She didn't want to freak him out but she had to tell him without sugarcoating it.</p>
<p>[Listen, something is hovering over you in the middle of the night,] the dullahan typed.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Shinra asked. Celty started to type again but paused. Something else caught her attention. A little boy in a white gown stood watching them in the doorway, watching them with a scythe in his hand.</p>
<p>"Celty?" Shinra asked. His girl nervously pointed behind him. The doctor turned his head. He too could see the little child. Shinra stood up.</p>
<p>"Hey buddy, are you lost or something?" he asked. The doctor started walking towards the pale child. His girlfriend figured out just what that child was. Celty leapt forward and grabbed him by the wrist. The sensation sent her into shock.</p>
<p>
  <em>His skin is so cold!</em>
</p>
<p>Suddenly, Shinra went still. A light mist flew up out of his body. Shinra collapsed to the floor without a sound.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shinra!</em>
</p>
<p>The mist started floating away towards the child. He had his hand out ready to take the soul.</p>
<p>
  <em>Stop!</em>
</p>
<p>She used her shadows to grab onto Shinra's soul. The mist hung there in midair. The pale child with the scythe raised his little eyebrow.</p>
<p>
  <em>Please don't take him! I just got him back. I won't let you take him!</em>
</p>
<p>The boy looked up at her and frowned. He wouldn't put down his hands. Celty was ready to draw out her scythe to chase off this little reaper.</p>
<p>"That's another!" a woman's voice shouted. Celty and the little boy looked up. A woman in a long black dress walked into the living room. She placed her hand on the child's head.</p>
<p>"You can't have this one," the woman said. "He has to stay here in the living world. We need him here." The child lowered his hands. He vanished into thin air.</p>
<p>"Thank you," the woman said. She turned her focus onto Celty. The dullahan struggled to hold Shinra's soul in place. The hazy mist was trying to fly away and follow the boy. The woman walked up and gently shushed the soul. The mist's struggling stopped. Celty lowered back into Shinra's body. The doctor slowly awoke and sat up.</p>
<p>"Huh? Where did that little boy go?" he asked. Celty put her hand on his shoulder. Shinra turned his head. His eyes lit up.</p>
<p>"Celty!" he cheered. The doctor leapt forward and hugged his girlfriend. She didn't try to push her off. The woman cleared her throat. The couple looked up. The woman bowed her head.</p>
<p>"Good evening," she said. "My name is Vanessa. With me are Victor-sensei and Miiko." A man in a nice suit and a girl in a black kimono came on either side of her.</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you," Victor said. Miiko bowed her head.</p>
<p>"I am so sorry!" she said. "I mistranslated part of the ritual. This is all my fault! I am so sorry!" Shinra gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>[How did you mistranslate the spell like that?!] Celty typed. [He about died again!]</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry!" Miiko said. Vanessa placed her hand on her head.</p>
<p>"There, there," she said. "We are here to fix it." The receptionist went quiet as she stood up. Vanessa turned to Shinra.</p>
<p>"Hold out your hand," she said. The doctor held out his right wrist. The manager drew out her ink pen and the ink. She dipped the tip into the ink.</p>
<p>"This will sting for a bit," Vanessa said. "But it won't last long." Shinra stared at her, silent. Celty came around for a look. Vanessa began to draw really small Kanji all over Shinra's wrist. The doctor winced for a bit but didn't make a sound.</p>
<p>"His soul won't stop leaving his body but it won't go too far," the manager said.</p>
<p>[Are you sure this will work?] Celty typed. Victor read the screen.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said. "Unlike last time, this spell has been better translated." Miiko nervously laughed with a sweat drop on her head.</p>
<p>"You aren't going to let that one go, aren't?" she muttered to herself. Victor pretended not to hear her. When Vanessa was finished, she drew back her pen. Shinra looked at his wrist. The ink started to disappear into his skin. Within seconds, the Kanji was gone.</p>
<p>"Heh," he said.</p>
<p>[Thank you,] Celty typed.</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Vanessa said. "We will keep tabs on him. Let us know if something goes wrong. Contact this number here." The manager handed Celty a small piece of paper. The dullahan took it and bowed.</p>
<p>[Thank you,] she typed again. Vanessa, Victor, and Miiko bowed behind they vanished.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kururi kissed Aoba on the lips. She playfully tackled him on the bed. The Queen Bee smirked and slid off his shirt. She nipped on his collarbone before licking on the wound. He just let her do as she pleased. Aoba couldn't get into the sex anymore. His body started to reject his girlfriend's libido. That meant nothing to Kururi. If he couldn't get into it, he was just going to be a sex toy to her.</p>
<p>The Queen Bee broke off the kiss and slid her low-cut black top over her head. Aoba's eyes shifted away from her. Kururi turned his face to hers.</p>
<p>"What's the matter, baby?" she asked. Aoba forced himself to smile.</p>
<p>"Nothing," he lied. The boy lay there at her mercy. He could just say no. This wasn't the Kururi he knew after all. This girl was just a sex fiend and a monster. His captor leaned down and kissed him again on the lips. She playfully grabbed him by the crotch. Kururi frowned.</p>
<p>"You aren't hard," she said in a low voice. She quickly unzipped his jeans.</p>
<p>"I will change that," Kururi said. Her hand went right to work. Aoba tried not to look her in the eye. This couldn't keep going. He had to find a way to set the timeline right and get Mairu back. Kururi licked her lips and turned his head back to her.</p>
<p>"You like that, don't you?" she asked. The Queen Bee rolled his jeans and boxers down to his thighs. Kururi moved her head down to his lap. She had to have more of his addictive taste. By now, the resistance was growing harder to keep up. Kururi had to work her tongue into the mix.</p>
<p>Suddenly, there came a knock on the door. The couple looked up.</p>
<p>"Kururi?" a familiar girl's voice asked. A wave of confusion washed over Aoba's face.</p>
<p>"Kururi, what's going on?" he asked. His girlfriend clicked her teeth and rolled her eyes. She climbed off the bed and opened her door. Low and behold, her posse stood in the hallway, waiting. Kurui groaned and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"I told you guys to wait until I gave you the signal," she said. Aoba lifted his head. <em>Signal? What's going on?</em></p>
<p>"We're sorry, Kururi-san," one of the girls said. "We just couldn't wait. This was just too exciting." The Queen Bee sighed and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Whatever," she said. "You're here just in time anyway. I was just getting him warmed up." Kururi stepped aside to let her friends in. Aoba's eyes widened as the girls walked into the room. Some of them were giggling. The former gang leader's stomach dropped as he started to see where this was heading. His fears were confirmed when he noticed Tsukiyama handing Kururi 5,000 yen. The Queen Bee thanked her as she pocketed the money. It was then Aoba tried to desperately cover up his erect genitals. But then, one of the girls climbed on top. She wagged her finger back and forth, shaking her head.</p>
<p>"Uh-uh-uh-uh," she said. "You can't hide from me. We're all going to have a good time tonight." The girl moved his hands from his crotch.</p>
<p>One of the other girls pulled out her phone and hit record.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kitano, Yuka, and Rumi all stood in front the projected image of a tadpole heart on the giant screen.</p>
<p>"Are you ready to give this another go?" the therapist asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Yuka said. Rumi gave him a silent nod.</p>
<p>"Right," the therapist said. He took a breath and research began again. This time, the stakes had been risen. Vozrozhdeniye had thrown their hat into the superhuman surviving the apocalypse game ring. The tadpoles had to be more evolved.</p>
<p>Kitano knew just where to start.</p>
<p>The weakness of a tadpole heart embarrassed him so much. For two months, Kitano, Yuka, and Rumi tried to find a solution to the problem. So far, they came into many dead ends.</p>
<p>It was Kitano's idea to try something a little bit different.</p>
<p>"Why don't we look at what's making the heart so vulnerable and work from there," he said. The interns had the same idea in mind. In fact, Yuka thought about suggesting it this evening.</p>
<p>"I guess great minds do think alike," she said.</p>
<p>"Not always, but sometimes they do," Kitano said. The trio dove deep into work with this new angle. The morning started out with nothing. The leveled playing field wouldn't let them back down. Kitano refused to let these sirens and Vozrozhdeniye get the better of him.</p>
<p>The tadpoles would be the true witnesses of the world when it dies.</p>
<p>On the fifth day of working from this new angle, Kitano and his interns found a breakthrough. Yuka happened to load the screen again. At first, the image of the heart looked wavy.</p>
<p>"Huh?" she asked. Yuka pressed the refresh button on the dashboard. The image disappeared and popped back up. This time, the heart came back up. When Yuka took a look at the screen, she narrowed her eyes. The image had black spots all over it. The intern covered her open mouth.</p>
<p>"Sensei! Rumi! Come look at this!" she shouted over the intercom. When she looked back up at the heart, Yuka could see stars in her eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Izaya sat down at his computer. Something really wasn't right. He just needed to see if his suspicions were right.</p>
<p>The information broker logged into his account. Everything looked standard so far. Izaya started to type without a thought.</p>
<p>"What can you tell me about Kitano Katsuhiro?" he wrote. The information broker hit send. Silence. Izaya waited for a few more seconds and nothing. Izaya frowned. He tried another question.</p>
<p>"What can you tell me about the Tandeki Group?" Izaya wrote. He hit send again. Silence. The information broker waited a few more seconds. He tried three more questions and got the same results. Finally, Izaya started typing again.</p>
<p>"Tsukumoya? Are you there? Say something," he wrote. Izaya hit send again and waited. He expected no response again. But then the speech bubble with three dots popped up. Izaya waited and the bubble wiggled up and down. When the response popped up on the screen, the color drain from the information broker's face. He had seen blood, corruption, death, and the ugliness of mankind. Izaya could stare it down without flinching. But those four words made his blood run cold.</p>
<p>"I am not Tsukumoya."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Celty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>VII: Pride</p>
<p>Halo Nineteen: Celty:</p>
<p>Izaya managed to track down Mari at the hotel she was staying at. He pounded on her door. The programmer froze when she opened the door. Izaya shoved the screenshot of his conversation that he had with not-Tsukumoya just moments before.</p>
<p>"Did you do this?" he asked. At first, Mari looked confused.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" she asked. Izaya pointed to the last line he circled in red. Mari narrowed her eyes and read the last line.</p>
<p>"I am not Tsukumoya."</p>
<p>Her face filled with alarm. Mari backed up, shaking her head.</p>
<p>"I didn't do that!" she said. Izaya didn't say anything.</p>
<p>"I'm not lying!" Mari said. "I swear! I'll prove it to you!" She led him into her hotel room. Izaya followed behind but he already had a guess of where this was going. Mari pulled out her laptop from her bag and booted it up. She opened up the Dis Program file. Both found themselves in for a nasty little shock.</p>
<p>"You did do something," Izaya said with a cold tone in his voice.</p>
<p>"I did not add that, I swear," Mari insisted. "I haven't touched my laptop since I fled."</p>
<p>"She right," a voice said. The friends with benefits looked at the screen.</p>
<p>"Did it just talk?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"Hello again, Izaya," Mari's laptop said.</p>
<p>"And who are you?" the information broker.</p>
<p>"Aw, Izaya, you know who I am," the voice in the machine said with a whimper.</p>
<p>"No, I don't," Izaya said, shaking his head.</p>
<p>"You should," the laptop said.</p>
<p>"I don't," Izaya said. The waves on the screen bunched up and bounced as the laptop sighed.</p>
<p>"Here's a hint. Look through the obituaries. Oh say back in about April," the voice said. Izaya pulled out his phone. He began typing up the information on his phone. Mari looked with him on the screen. Izaya scrolled up through the list of dead people. He stopped when he caught a familiar name.</p>
<p>"Yoemon Kenji-sensei?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"Ding-ding!" the laptop said. A video player popped up on the screen. Izaya and Mari jumped back when they saw the professor's face.</p>
<p>"Good evening," the consciousness greeted them. Izaya and Mari looked at each other.</p>
<p>"What did you do to Tsukumoya?" the information broker asked.</p>
<p>"He's here," Kenji said. "What's left of him that is. He's now part of me." The screen glitched out for a second before resuming.</p>
<p>"Oh, do forgive me," Kenji said. "It looks like he's trying to get away from me still but we won't be having any of that." There was another glitch before the screen became normal.</p>
<p>"Stop doing that. You and I are one now. You can get mad at me all you want but you are a part of me now," the consciousness said. The screen went still. Computer Kenji cleared his throat.</p>
<p>"My apologizes," he said.</p>
<p>"Did you tell on me to Asato-sensei?" Mari asked.</p>
<p>"I had no choice," Kenji said. "We have to keep up in the game."</p>
<p>"Game?" Izaya asked.</p>
<p>"Why yes," the consciousness said. "Tandeki is in the lead. The last thing we all went is to fall behind." The screen glitched again but returned to normal.</p>
<p>"But alas, I am not complete still," Kenji said. "I can add some of the new coding myself but some other parts I will need, say, more of a human touch." Mari backed away, shaking her head.</p>
<p>"No!" she shouted.</p>
<p>"Oh, but you don't have any choice, my dear," Kenji said. "It's already too late. You have to finish what you started. They already know what you are trying to do. It would be in your best interest to comply. I am everywhere now." Mari trembled as she shook her head. Izaya slammed down the laptop lid. Mari turned to him with big eyes. Before she could speak their, phones buzzed. The friends with benefits pulled out their phones. Kenji's face appeared on their screens.</p>
<p>"Didn't I tell you?" he asked. "I am everywhere now. You would have ditch every piece of technology that you owe. I will see you at work on Monday, Otomo-san." Then Kenji disappeared off of her phone. Mari began trembling this time with rage. Her phone hit the wall as she screamed.</p>
<p>"How could I have been so stupid?!" she yelled. "He took over my laptop! Why didn't I think of that?!" Her screaming filled the room as she slammed her fists down onto the carpet. Izaya looked at his own phone. The screen was now a black mirror.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kururi decided to act on the next part of her plan. Once again, Chiyomi came to her with a little problem. The girls were walking home from school.</p>
<p>"I never have enough money," Chiyomi complained. The Queen Bee looked over at her.</p>
<p>"Why don't you just get a job?" she suggested. Chiyomi shook her head. Kururi took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"Well, your family is well-off, aren't they?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," the other girl said.</p>
<p>"Let me guess, they are strict with your allowance, aren't they?" Kururi asked. Chiyomi gave her a sheepish grin. The Queen Bee gave her smile of fake sympathy. She put her arm around her shoulders.</p>
<p>"I think I can help you with your little problem," she said. Chiyomi gave her a confused look.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked. Kurui looked around for a bit.</p>
<p>"You heard of dating for pay?" she asked. Her friend looked so confused.</p>
<p>"What does that mean?" Chiyomi asked. The Queen Bee smiled and shook her head. May, may, may. This should be fun.</p>
<p>"Guys just pay you to date them," Kururi said. She sounded so nonchalant when she said it. Chiyomi tilted her head.</p>
<p>"Does that include… s-e-x?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Maybe," her "friend" said. She noticed the look on Chiyomi's face.</p>
<p>"What? You're not a virgin anymore. It shouldn't matter, right?" Kururi asked.</p>
<p>"Well… yeah, but…" the other girl said. Kururi pulled her closer to her.</p>
<p>"Come on, there are more girls who do it," she said in her ear. "Our classmates, some of the teachers, housewives. Hell, even two of our friends are doing it." Chiyomi's lower lip trembled.</p>
<p>"You wanted money, don't you?" Kururi asked. Her naïve friend nodded while trying to figure out what to do. The Queen Bee let her go.</p>
<p>"Think about it at least," she said. Kururi patted her on the back and went on walking. Chiyomi gave her a small wave.</p>
<p>"Bye…" she mumbled. Kururi's words still lingered in her head.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Around ten in the morning, a woman in big shades walked up to Rampo Biotech. She was the last one here. The woman smirked to herself. <em>Perfect.</em> She walked up to the glass doors.</p>
<p>The receptionist looked up to see the woman in a fancy hat walking up to the desk.</p>
<p>"Good morning," she said. The woman leaned forward on the desk.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," she said in an elegant voice. "But do know where I am supposed to go for my predicament?" The receptionist gulped at her tone of voice.</p>
<p>"S-S-S-Sure," she said. The younger woman pointed to the elevators. "It's… It's…" The woman in shades raised her eyebrow. The receptionist took a breath.</p>
<p>"You are looking for Lab 528," she said. "Just go over to the elevators and go up to the fifth floor." The other woman smiled.</p>
<p>"Thank you, dear," she said. The woman bowed and walked over to the elevator. The receptionist stared at her with bright red cheeks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Daichi and Osamu waited while they worked on their daily batch.</p>
<p>"Do you want to get the last one or me?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"I got it last time," Daichi said. The older man shrugged.</p>
<p>"Fine," he said. At that moment, the door buzzed. Osamu set down that his clippers.</p>
<p>"Well, duty calls," he said. The man turned and walked over to the door.</p>
<p>"Yes?" Osamu asked, pushing the call button.</p>
<p>"I'm here for my appointment," a woman's voice said. "Is this the right place?"</p>
<p>"Why yes, hang on," Osamu said. He punched in the code on the keypad. The door slid open. The woman stood in her hat and sunglasses. Osamu whistled with a smile on his face. She folded her arms across her chest.</p>
<p>"I know I am pretty, but we have work to do," she said. "I can't afford to be late!"</p>
<p>"Alright, alright," Osamu said. "Follow me." The woman followed him over to the flowers. Daichi gave her a small wave.</p>
<p>"What do you have for us today?" Osamu asked. The woman sighed and rolled her eyes as she held up right hand.</p>
<p>"Can you pry this off my finger or something?" she asked. Osamu leaned down for a closer look. A big golden band looked so tight on her dainty finger. No blood seemed to be flowing to it.</p>
<p>"It's ugly and I hate it," the woman said. "I've tried taking it off but I can't get this damned thing off. I think you might need a saw or something to help me." Osamu smiled and shook his head.</p>
<p>"We don't really need to go that far," he said. "We've got something earlier."</p>
<p>"Oh?" the woman asked. Osamu pulled out the pill bottle and twisted it open.</p>
<p>"Just take this," he said. The woman picked up the pill and swallowed it. Her body went stiff as a jolt ran through her body. The ring fell off her finger and landed into the bag Osamu held open underneath her fingers.</p>
<p>"Perfect," Osamu said. He looked up at the woman. "How are you feeling?" She panted at first.</p>
<p>"Wow!" she said. "What was that?"</p>
<p>"Just a little something to free you from your bonds," Osamu said. The woman flexed her finger. Joy lit up over her face.</p>
<p>"I can feel my finger!" she said. The woman looked up at Osamu and Daichi.</p>
<p>"Thank you so much," she said. "I will be on my way." The woman bowed and turned away.</p>
<p>"Are you off to find your target?" Daichi asked. The woman glanced over her shoulder.</p>
<p>"Why yes," she said. And then she was gone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Celty was riding back from another job. Nothing felt familiar around these streets anymore. So far, Shinra was fine. He acted like nothing had happened. Other than his soul trying to leave his body, everything was fine. The doctor's soul would fly out of his body but it couldn't go too far. It didn't help that little reapers were always waiting around their apartment. They always glared at the couple. The dullahan could tell what they were thinking.</p>
<p>"He should be dead."</p>
<p>Shingen was excited by this situation. He just had to try and experiment on his son. Shinra rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"I'm still human, dad," he said.</p>
<p>"Oh…" the older doctor said.</p>
<p>Celty's thoughts back to present day when something caught her attention from behind. Her first thought was the cops.</p>
<p>
  <em>No, not now!</em>
</p>
<p>The dullahan looked over her shoulder. That wasn't a police officer. A woman on a motorcycle was rushing towards her as fast as she could. They didn't look like they were going to stop or slow down. Celty tried to move to the other side. The woman moved to the other side as well.</p>
<p>
  <em>What is she doing?</em>
</p>
<p>It was then Celty noticed that something was off about this woman. She couldn't be human. How could a motorcycle catch up that quickly? Celty tried to push Shooter to go as fast as he could. But it wasn't enough.</p>
<p>Crash!</p>
<p>Celty used her feet to try and stop. The other woman wasn't done yet. She tried to ram into the dullahan again. This time, Celty and Shooter managed to get out of the way in time. The woman wouldn't stop for about six more times. The last time Celty managed to stop and push back. Both women grounded to a halt. Shooter took some damage. He would make a quick recovery afterwards. Celty turned her attention to her attacker. The woman walked up to her. Her red and silver helmet hid her face. Celty was typing away on her PDA.</p>
<p>[What the hell?! What were you doing?! Were you trying to run me off the road or something?!]</p>
<p>The woman paused and took off her helmet. Long white blonde hair came flowing out. She looked at Celty with deep red eyes.</p>
<p>"Oh, I am so sorry. Did I try to run you off the road?" she asked. The dullahan started typing again.</p>
<p>[Yes! Why would you do that?]</p>
<p>The woman put her hands up in a little shrug. "It was the only way to get you."</p>
<p>[What are you talking about?]</p>
<p>The other woman smiled and shook her head. "No don't remember, do you? Aw, well. It doesn't hurt to do this again." She flipped back her head and bowed.</p>
<p>"I am challenging you to a duel by tomorrow evening," the woman said.</p>
<p>[What?!]</p>
<p>Her new opponent bowed again. "See you then."</p>
<p>And then she was gone. Celty was left standing there, confused.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the hell was all that about?!</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kitano looked at data on his tablet. He hit record on his tape recorder.</p>
<p>"A cause for concern has come to my mind. Chirin seems to be infected with Yokubo's toxic. My hackers managed to get me access to his latest blood work. Let me tell you: he's got a high number of black crystals in the blood. Now, I have been monitoring him since his fight with Yokubo. Everything looks fine so far. Still, I don't know how long that will last. Anything could go with this circumstance.</p>
<p>"To be honest, I have never seen her do that before. She didn't even bite him in the last fight. Then again, Chirin lacked the drive to fight her before. So I assume that Yokubo had to use whatever measure she needed to escape. On the one hand, I am impressed. On the other hand…"</p>
<p>-Three Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>Etsuko and Kitano looked at the results.</p>
<p>"That's a lot of black in his blood," the doctor said. The therapist sat in thought.</p>
<p>"Have we seen any changes that should raise red flags?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No," Etsuko said.</p>
<p>"I see," Kitano said. The doctor raised her eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Are you thinking to use the venom to our advantage?" she asked. Kitano glanced over at her.</p>
<p>"Perhaps," he said. "We would need to study the sample."</p>
<p>-Now-</p>
<p>"We would need a direct sample from Chirin. That now will be a challenge. I will have Junko do it since she works at the school. She's got ways of getting to Chirin and his friends. Other than that, he's doing well. But like I said before, we will have to see what comes next.</p>
<p>"That will be all for now. I will update when we have further information."</p>
<p>Kitano hit stop on his recorder.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mikado stared at his phone. This felt so wrong. He felt like he would be using Anri for this. But it was better her than any other girl in Ikebukuro. The whispering started to crowd his head again. They started off as faint at first. He thought they were the other tadpoles talking.</p>
<p>That was until he heard what they were saying.</p>
<p>They were all talking about mundane things in life. Shopping trips, what they wanted for dinner, what they were so afraid of, what they truly desired, and even what they dreamt last night. It took Mikado a little bit realize these were just the "normals" talking. Not their thoughts. These were the actual people talking.</p>
<p>"What is happening to me?" Mikado asked aloud. Fingertips caressed his left cheeks. His eyes darted behind him. He could see Yokubo smirking at him.</p>
<p>"You hear them too, right?" she cooed in his ear. Mikado tried not make eye contact. She smirked to herself.</p>
<p>"Heh," she said. When Mikado turned around, there was no one there. His room felt so cold. He rubbed on his right arm. What was that just now? Part of him hoped that he was imagining that. That had to be in his head, right?</p>
<p>So now, here he was. The tadpole needed to stop this before it got worse.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Anri asked on the other line. Mikado gulped.</p>
<p>"Hey, Anri," he said. There was a pause.</p>
<p>"Is something them matter?" she asked. Mikado forced himself to sit up straight.</p>
<p>"Are you busy right now?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No, why?" she asked. Mikado paused. How would he ask this without sounding creepy? He didn't want to do this to her but he needed to chase Yokubo's voice out his head. The tadpole boy shut his eyes. <em>Forgive me, Anri-chan.</em></p>
<p>"Could you come over?" Mikado finally managed to ask. Part of him hoped that she would say no.</p>
<p>"Right now?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said in a small voice. His heart pounded against his chest. He practically prayed that she would say no.</p>
<p>"Okay," Anri said in quiet voice. Mikado's heart sank.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he said before hanging up. The tadpole hung up and held his phone to his chest. <em>I'm so sorry, Anri-chan.</em> Mikado could feel the tears well up in his eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sadako knocked on Aya's door.</p>
<p>"Enter!" the psychiatrist said. Sadako poked her head inside.</p>
<p>"I'm coming in," she said. Aya glanced up at her.</p>
<p>"What do you want?" she asked. Sadako slid into the office, closing the door behind her.</p>
<p>"I am ready," she said. Aya stopped writing in her notes.</p>
<p>"Ready what?" she asked in a low voice. Sadako moved closer to her desk.</p>
<p>"I want to do my killings now," she whispered. "The Dante Killer is already acting. Should I start doing the killings too?" Aya looked her straight in the eye.</p>
<p>"Are you willing to commit to our game?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the other therapist said. The older woman set down her pen.</p>
<p>"And you want to get started now?" Aya asked. Sadako nodded once. The other therapist rose to her feet with a cold smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Well then," she said. "You are going to have to come with me now." Her lips came within inches of the youngest therapist's ear.</p>
<p>"Meet me behind the building after hours," she whispered. Sadako quickly nodded before saluting.</p>
<p>"Will do," she said.</p>
<p>"Please don't do that," the older therapist said.</p>
<p>"Right," Sadako said. She lowered her hand and walked out of the office. The therapist bowed and headed out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Celty made it back to her apartment. She ignored the little reapers waiting outside. They were still pissed that they can't reap Shinra's soul. Speaking of which…</p>
<p>[Shinra, what are you doing out here?] Celty typed. The underground stood outside of their apartment with his arms folded across his chest.</p>
<p>"She found you, didn't she?" he asked with sorrow in his voice.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Hokori</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty: Hokori:</p>
<p>"I don't want you to go," Shinra said. Celty started typing on her PDA.</p>
<p>[But I have to go,] she wrote. The couple ignored the reapers hissing behind them. Shinra sighed.</p>
<p>"Fine, then at least take this," he said. He shoved a small object into her hands. Celty looked down and opened her palms. A small silver beetle pin sat looking at her.</p>
<p>
  <em>What is this?</em>
</p>
<p>"Please just take it!" the doctor pleaded.</p>
<p>[Fine, I'll take it.] Celty typed. Shinra walked over and hugged her.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he whispered. Celty gently put her arms around him. What was she going to do with him? Again, she tried to ignore the little reapers glaring at them.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Great job, gentlemen," Kitano said as he looked at the ring in the bag.</p>
<p>"You're welcome," Osamu said.</p>
<p>"Now what?" Daichi asked. The therapist looked up at the men.</p>
<p>"Gentlemen, you are going to want to shield your eyes," he said. Kitano walked over to the altar. He opened the bag and dropped the ring into the final spot. Daichi and Osamu shielded their eyes. The alter began to shake violently. In fact, the whole office felt like it was in an earthquake. Kitano took a step back.</p>
<p>"So it begins!" he shouted. The altar shook harder as it started to glow. Light filled the office. All three men nearly closed their eyes. High-pitched singing circled their ears. Seven streaks of red light shot through the ceiling.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the room went still.</p>
<p>Despite this, the office was still so bright. Kitano resisted the urge to reach out and touch the altar. The men didn't speak. They couldn't move. They began to breathe heavily. One by one, the seven lights disappeared. The room returned to normal after last light vanished. Kitano lowered his hand. He walked up the altar. All seven charms broke down into ash.</p>
<p>"Now what?" Osamu asked.</p>
<p>"Sit back and watch," Kitano said. "Meanwhile, keep working with your flowers."</p>
<p>"Understood," Daichi and Osamu said. They bowed and walked out of Kitano's office. The therapist took one more look at his altar as it cooled down. This round was coming to a close already.</p>
<hr/>
<p>In the early morning hours, Celty's phone buzzed. The dullahan picked it up and looked at the screen. She received a new text from an unknown number. Celty already knew who this was.</p>
<p>"Hello, I am to be partnered up with you," the message read. Below it was a link. Celty looked over at Shinra. He was sound asleep in his futon. There were no figures hoovering over him tonight. Her boyfriend wasn't going to intervene with her fight tomorrow.</p>
<p>Celty tapped the link on the screen. A small video window popped up. A boy about thirteen appeared when the picture turned on.</p>
<p>"Yo," he said. It didn't take long for Celty to figure out who this was.</p>
<p>[Shingo?] she typed. The boy leaned forward as if reading something on his screen.</p>
<p>"That's me," he said.</p>
<p>[Okay… Are you a tadpole?]</p>
<p>"Yes," the boy replied. He turned his head and looked behind him. Shingo pushed his mic to his mouth.</p>
<p>"Listen, I can only help you from my place," he whispered. "If I get near you, I won't be of any use to you. But I will always be nearby. I can't stay on too long. You should be getting a text of coordinates where you're supposed to meet up with her in a few minutes."</p>
<p>[Okay…] Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Celty opened the new text message. Sure enough, there were the coordinates to her destination.</p>
<p>"Did you get the text?" Shingo asked.</p>
<p>[Yes.]</p>
<p>"Good, you will hear from me in a few hours," he said. "My mother is coming up here to check on me. Bye-bye." The video box disappeared on her phone. Celty stared at the screen. She looked over at Shinra again. He was still asleep. Seeing him like this put him at ease.</p>
<p>Why did she have the feeling that this would be one of the last times that she would see him like this?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Aya stood outside of the psychology building. She looked at her phone. Almost everyone would haven't gone home by now. The therapist puffed up her cheeks.</p>
<p>"They better not have held her up," she said to herself. Aya looked into her building. That's when she saw Sadako. She pushed open the doors and ran outside.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry I was last, senpai!" Sadako said. Aya shook her head.</p>
<p>"Please don't call me that," she said. "That just doesn't sound right coming out from." Sadako bowed.</p>
<p>"Sorry," she said. Aya waved her off.</p>
<p>"Whatever," she said. "Let's get going."</p>
<p>"Understood," Sadako said. The women walked down the street. Sadako followed the woman down a narrow alleyway. Aya pulled out her cell phone and used the light to lead the way. They arrived at a brick wall.</p>
<p>"Here?" Sadako whispered. Aya didn't answer. She pulled out a piece of pink chalk and drew a door. She rested her hand against the wall. The make-shift door opened wide. A cold breeze hit the women in the face. Aya went inside first. Sadako followed behind. They walked down the stone steps. The younger therapist smiled to herself as they kept walking. They came down to the bottom. Aya stood in front of the red curtain and turned around.</p>
<p>"Now, here are the rules," she said. "One, you have to stay behind your screen. Two, press the button to speak. And three, you have to stay quiet until someone finishes talking. Do you have any questions?" Sadako shook her head.</p>
<p>"Good," Aya said. "You are in chair seven. I am at the booth." She let Sadako go in first. The younger therapist walked to the numbered chair. Sadako found herself in a small booth with a table in front of her. She saw the big red button on the top.</p>
<p>"Heh, it's like a game show panel," she said to herself. Sadako took a seat in her booth. Meanwhile, Aya walked up to her podium. She got a good look at her audience. All twelve knights were here. Perfect. The therapist tapped the microphone.</p>
<p>"Good evening," she greeted the knights. "We are all here and we can get started." Aya looked all of the knights behind their shaded boxes. Number Twelve shifted in place. It took a lot of convincing for her to come here. But Kitano wore her down. At least for her to come to the first meeting.</p>
<p>"The seven sins have arrived in our city," Aya said. "The time for you to act is now. Dante Killer has laid down the groundwork for you. Ikebukuro is rip for our games." Number Six's light lit up.</p>
<p>"Yes, Number Six," she said.</p>
<p>"How will we know when to act?" they asked. "DK acted on their own even before the sins got here." Their voice sounded distorted. Aya gave the silhouette a little smirk.</p>
<p>"What is your instinct telling you?" she asked.</p>
<p>"My instinct?" they asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the therapist replied. "Listen to your instinct and act." Number Four's light lit up.</p>
<p>"Yes, Number Four?" Aya asked.</p>
<p>"What if you lost your motive to kill?" they asked. "What if you need to find another?" The knights chattered among each other, confused.</p>
<p>"At ease!" Aya shouted. The room grew quiet.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. "As for your motives, you will find it when it calls out to you. You channeled your anger for this mission and that is good."</p>
<p>"But I've that since I killed that two people that always pissed me off," Number Four said. "I want to keep going but I lost my drive." Number Seven pressed her button. Aya turned her head.</p>
<p>"Yes?" the therapist asked.</p>
<p>"I could probably help you," she said. The room went silent.</p>
<p>"I mean, I won't interfere with your work, mind you," Number Seven said. "I could give you some pointers." Number Eight pressed the button.</p>
<p>"Is such a thing allowed?" they asked. Aya took a moment to ponder this.</p>
<p>"If it's indirectly, fine," she said at last. "If that is okay with the rest of you." They talked among each other. Number One pressed their button.</p>
<p>"We will allow it," they said.</p>
<p>"Very well," Aya said. "Anything else?" The room went silent again. The therapist took a breath.</p>
<p>"Good," she said. "You are all dismissed. Please get home safely."</p>
<p>"Understood," the knights said. They stood up and walked out of their booth. Each knight would end up in a different part of Ikebukuro. They would never meet face to face until the time was right. Meanwhile, Aya headed back home herself.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-4:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Mikado sat in the nurse's office with a cold look on his face. How the hell did she convince the teachers to come back here? How does she still have a job here? Junko turned to him with a big smile on her face.</p>
<p>"So tell me, how are you today, Chirin-kun?" she asked. Mikado sneered her.</p>
<p>"That is not my name," he said under his breath. The nurse ignored his comment.</p>
<p>"Same as ever, I see," Junko said.</p>
<p>"Why am I here?" Mikado asked. The nurse smiled at him like a drunk cat.</p>
<p>"How is your wrist?" she asked. The tadpole turned his head away.</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked. Junko leaned in close to his face.</p>
<p>"How are you keeping control of the venom?" she asked. Mikado froze. He could tell that she was smirking at him.</p>
<p>"You've seen them, right?" she asked. The tadpole boy didn't speak.</p>
<p>"So you have," Junko said. "Interesting." Mikado still wouldn't look at her. Junko picked up his wrist and took a look. The tadpole peeked down for himself.</p>
<p>"Oh my!" the nurse said. Mikado got a better look at his wrist. The skin around the bite mark looked so pale. Almost white even. The bite mark looked a deep black.</p>
<p>"That doesn't look good," Junko said. Mikado snatched back his wrist. The nurse gave him a little pout.</p>
<p>"Come on, Chirin," she said. "We want the best for you. Let us help you." Mikado grabbed onto his wrist as if to protect it from her.</p>
<p>"Why would I do that?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Your development is important to us," Junko said. "We can't have anything make it go off track." Mikado had a cold look in his eyes.</p>
<p>"I don't trust you," he said in a low voice.</p>
<p>"Come on, please," the nurse said. Mikado started to get up but she pushed him back.</p>
<p>"I have to go home," he said. Junko shook her head.</p>
<p>"Not until I help you," she said.</p>
<p>"I don't want your help," the tadpole said. Junko wouldn't let up. The nurse managed to grab her prey down and wrestle him to the ground. Her knees sank down into his lower back. She grabbed a needle and stuck it into his arm. Mikado turned his head as he felt the needle go in.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?!" he shouted.</p>
<p>"Shhh," Junko whispered. "Just hold still. I just need a sample of your blood. We're just going to run some tests."</p>
<p>"They already took my blood!" Mikado snapped. Junko held him down with her other hand.</p>
<p>"We can do it better," she said. Blood filled the syringe. The nurse yanked it back out.</p>
<p>"There," she said. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Mikado looked up, clenching his teeth.</p>
<p>"You assaulted me," he hissed. Junko smiled and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Sorry about that," she said. "You weren't being so cooperative. I had to use force. I doubt that you will go to the police. You will have to them all about you." The nurse leaned down to his ear.</p>
<p>"You don't want to do that, do you?" she asked in a hiss. Mikado's heart pounded against his chest as his eyes widened. Junko smirked and climbed off of him.</p>
<p>"You are free to go," she said. "See you tomorrow." The nurse smiled as she walked out of her own office. Mikado just laid there in shock.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Hours Earlier-</p>
<p>Anri lay awake in Mikado's futon. She felt so numb lying there. This was the only way she could keep him sane. He invited her over. Anri arrived at him apartment without any question. At first, her boyfriend looked nervous.</p>
<p>"What's the matter, Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. He kept his eyes to the ground. The poor boy looked like he was itching to say something but couldn't bring himself to do it. She reached for his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Don't!" Mikado said. Anri drew back her head. Her boyfriend couldn't even make eye contact. Her heart sank with pity.</p>
<p>"I am here for you, Mikado-kun," she said. "You can talk to me." Mikado finally lifted his head. He held out right wrist. Anri winced at the bright and bloody-looking skin. She saw the deep scratch marks.</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun… what is this?" she asked. His lower lip trembled before he broke down about his fight with Yokubo. Anri listened in silence. When he was done, Mikado looked her in the eyes. He looked like he expected her to run away from him. But she just stood there, silent. Mikado steadied himself to ask the next question on his mind.</p>
<p>"Can you sleep with me tonight?" he asked. Anri's cheeks flushed red.</p>
<p>"What?!" she shouted. Mikado waved his hands in front of her.</p>
<p>"I mean… That's if you want to," he said. Both of them stood in silence. Anri looked down at her feet.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said quietly. She didn't know why she agreed to do this. It just felt like something she had to do. If Mikado needed her body to keep himself together, it should be fine, right? But yet, Mikado always felt so guilty afterwards. He wouldn't let her touch him afterwards. He already slipped out early this morning. Where he went, she did not know.</p>
<p>Anri turned over onto her side. She felt along the side that Mikado was hours before. The girl only wished that she could hold him and tell him that everything would be okay. But would her words reach him? It looked like Anri could use a little more help.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-6:00 p.m.-</p>
<p>Celty followed the coordinates to her final destination. She had to keep a little bug device on her helmet. Shingo got to see where she was going the whole time. He could watch the fight too. He was the one who sent the little bug device earlier.</p>
<p>"Can you hear me?" he asked Celty and Shinra before the dullahan left the apartment.</p>
<p>"Yes," Shinra said.</p>
<p>"Great!" the boy said. "I just made this myself last night." Shinra leaned into the little camera and waved.</p>
<p>"Impressive," he said. "You're really good with tech stuff, aren't you?"</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Shingo said. Shinra already knew that the kid's powers were going to be tested out later.</p>
<p>The streets seemed uncharacteristically empty this evening. There weren't even any cops out. Celty didn't know whether to be relived or concerned. The bug on her helmet crackled to life.</p>
<p>"You're just about there," Shingo said over his microphone. He said this in a soft tone. Celty had her own questions about her new partner. The boy didn't seem to want to meet her in person. To be fair, she did neutralize all of the tadpoles' powers. Probably better that they kept their distance. If she had a mouth, she would take to him. Try and get to know him a little bit better.</p>
<p>"I can hear what you are thinking through the bug," Shingo said.</p>
<p>
  <em>Huh? How?</em>
</p>
<p>"It's a mix of my powers and the device I gave you," the boy said. "I can hear thoughts. This device enhances it. I made it with you in mind."</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p>
<p>"You can ask me anything you want. You still have a good twenty kilometers to go."</p>
<p>
  <em>Ah.</em>
</p>
<p>"I'm thirteen years and a victim of Chou Mori. I live with my mom and I love tech stuff. I don't really socialize with anyone because I'm a bit shy and my powers. What about you?" Shingo said. A small smile spread across Celty's non-existent face. She spent the whole ride getting to know the young tadpole. To her, the boy sounded so lonely. Celty decided to put him in touch with the other tadpoles when this was over.</p>
<p>The dullahan finally pulled up to her final destination. Turns out the final battleground was an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>
  <em>Here?</em>
</p>
<p>"Yeah, this is the place," Shingo said. "It's oddly fitting in a way."</p>
<p>
  <em>Yeah…</em>
</p>
<p>Celty looked up when she heard someone clapping. The same woman from yesterday walked down the stone steps. Today, she wasn't dressed up like a biker chick. She looked more like a bartender in her black and white pant suit. Her red tie matched the small red horns on her head. Everything about her reminded Celty of Izaya in a strange way.</p>
<p>"Well done! Well done!" she said. "You and your little friend made it here just in time. Now the real fun can begin!" The woman broke into a huge grin. Celty tilted her helmet to the side. Her opponent giggled.</p>
<p>"Oh, where are my manners?" she asked. The woman cleared her throat and bowed her head.</p>
<p>"My name is Hokori, deity of pride," she said. "A pleasure to meet you. Come inside and we shall begin." The woman retreated into the building. Celty shrugged to herself as she followed behind. She didn't really have a choice.</p>
<p>The inside of the church looked like it had seen better days. The stained glass windows were cracked and the pews were covered in dust. It looked like no one had been in here for centuries. Hokori stood at the altar.</p>
<p>"We have one hour for this fight," she said. "You either have to defeat me or fight until time is up. Don't worry about damaging anything around here. There is a barrier around us. See?" The deity picked up a rock and chucked it at one of the pews. It bounced off and landed in her hand.</p>
<p>"We can go as crazy as we want," Hokori said. "But first, you and your little friend will get three questions. Go ahead, ask me anything."</p>
<p>Celty began typing away on her PDA. [What will happen after this fight?] Hokori grinned.</p>
<p>"Their game will go into the next round," she said. "One step closer to their desired apocalypse." The very sound of that put Celty at unease.</p>
<p>"Ask her why," Shingo said. The dullahan began typing again.</p>
<p>[Why are you doing all of this?]</p>
<p>Hokori smiled and shrugged. "He wants to keep a promise that he made when he was dying as a kid. He is determined to keep this promise even if people have to die." Celty began typing again.</p>
<p>[What will happen to me if the apocalypse happens?]</p>
<p>"Who's to say?" the deity asked. She pulled out a large gray scythe with a skull on top.</p>
<p>"Now, enough with the chit-chat," Hokori said. "Now we fight!" Celty's shadows also formed a scythe as the deity ran forward. Shingo felt like he was getting a ring-side seat.</p>
<p>Clang!</p>
<p>Hokori broke into a huge grin. "This is going to be a fun fight!" She laughed and jumped back. Celty was already ready for the next attack. She already had her scythe up, ready to attack. The dullahan managed to knock down her opponent by the ankle. Hokori crashed and landed on the floor. Celty stood over her. The deity jumped to her feet.</p>
<p>Throughout this fight, the dullahan could see all of Hokori's movements. It looked as if she was moving in slow motion for a brief second before speeding up when she made her attacks. Celty couldn't help but wonder why. She could land her attacks on the pride deity while the other woman almost couldn't land a single blow. The best that Hokori could manage was a scratch on Celty's arm. The deity gritted her teeth.</p>
<p>"What the fuck?!" she yelled. "Why can't I touch you?!"</p>
<p>
  <em>I don't know!</em>
</p>
<p>Hokori let out a loud shrink before running and flying over the dullahan. "Eat this, bitch!" She raised her scythe and gave it a huge swing. Celty managed to dodge but not before her helmet got knocked out. The yellow kitty-eared hear gear rolled around before landing near the door.</p>
<p>Shingo sat up straight on his bed as the action fell out of frame. All he could hear was the fighting in the distance.</p>
<p>"No!" he shouted. "Come on!"</p>
<p>"Shingo-kun?" a woman asked from the hallway.</p>
<p>"Oh shit," the boy whispered. He closed up his laptop, ripped off his headset, and lay down in bed. His bedroom door opened.</p>
<p>"Shingo-kun, what are you doing still up?" she asked. The boy rolled over and looked up from the sheets.</p>
<p>"Oh, sorry, mom," he said. "I was just watching a video on my phone again."</p>
<p>"Do you remember what I said?" his mother asked. Shingo sighed and rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"Turn off all electronics after seven," he muttered.</p>
<p>"Am I going to have to take your phone again?" she asked.</p>
<p>"No!" Shingo said. "I'll go to bed, I promise!" He prayed that she would close the door and leave.</p>
<p>"Good night, Shingo-kun," his mother said. The door finally shut the door. Shingo waited until she disappeared down the hall. The tadpole boy quickly sat up and opened up his laptop. He bit his lower lip as the screen came back up. <em>Come on. Please still be there.</em> The screen came into focus in time to see Celty picking up her helmet and facing the bug towards her. Shingo quickly put his headset back on.</p>
<p>"What happened? Did you win?" he asked. Celty stuck up the V-sign. The boy felt back and breathed out.</p>
<p>"Thank goodness!" Shingo said. He lifted his head.</p>
<p>"So what happens now?" he asked. Celty shrugged before putting her helmet on. The boy shrugged as well.</p>
<p>"Okay then, Shingo signing out," the boy said.</p>
<p>Celty walked out of the church and made her way back to Shooter. She rode off into the night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Noriko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>VIII: Aftermath</p>
<p>Halo Twenty-One: Noriko:</p>
<p>-Noriko-</p>
<p>This is not my life.</p>
<p>It feels like I am living in a dream. All of my memories keep getting mixed up in my head. I can't tell my friends. They would think I was crazy. They seem to be understanding with Mikado, Chiharu, and Anri. But still…</p>
<p>I looked down at my wrists over the bathroom sink. I remember how many times I have cut them before. I cringe as I can almost feel the sting of the blade going across my skin. The sensation sent me over the edge. Only for that short moment of time, I could feel relief. I've cut many times on my arms, legs, stomach, chest, and even my neck.</p>
<p>My fingers crept over to the drawer under the sink. But then I freeze. No, I shouldn't be doing that. They'll start asking questions. I could just hide the cuts. But it's summer. They are going to notice that I am wearing long sleeves.</p>
<p>I end up drawing back my hand.</p>
<p>I scare myself when my mind wonders back to that place. This wasn't the first time tonight. I can't say when they thoughts started. Izaya didn't help that day either. I don't think I remember the place I was born. I don't remember anything about this life. I don't think I ever had any parents. But I know I had them. I know they exist, but I can't see their faces. I feel their warmth around me. I remember going to the beach with them. I remember having a happy meal at the table with them. I even remember the roses that I gave mama for her birthday.</p>
<p>
  <em>Those aren't real memories!</em>
</p>
<p>I turned around in the darkness. There was no one there but I knew who that voice belonged to. But that can't be right. I remember them. They did exist. I know they did. I… I…</p>
<p>I turned and happened to look at myself in the bathroom mirror. My whole body became tense. When did my face look so sullen? There was no life in my eyes. My hair looked to brittle. I reached up and touched my right cheek. No… This isn't right! This isn't right! Oh god. It's all coming back now. I could see the cuts on my arms. So much all over the bathroom. I hadn't eaten in days. I have scars all over my back. More scars cover my body. Oh god. I think I'm going to be sick.</p>
<p>I ran over to the toilet and threw up. I coughed and sat back rocking. What was that just now? I didn't like it. No. No. No. I need to cover the mirrors. Yeah, that's it. Just cover them all up. I pushed myself to my feet and went into the hall closet.</p>
<p>I can't stand to look in a mirror.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When I woke up, the pleasant smell of flowers teased my nose. A small smile spread across my face. I don't have any flowers in my apartment. I sat up and looked around. Somehow, I ended up back in my apartment. I guess I fell asleep. What time is it?</p>
<p>I pulled out my phone. 9:28? I've been asleep for that long? I don't even remember what happened. Where did all of the time go? It was morning last time I checked. I looked down at my phone again. It was then I noticed that I had thirteen missed calls. Some were my friends. A couple of spam calls. My therapist. I rolled my eyes. Really? Can't they take a hint? But then I noticed one number that I didn't recognize. Who called to call me when I was out cold? I started to go through each message. My friends were just calling and asking how I was doing. I couldn't bring myself to call them back. What could I say to them?</p>
<p>"Hey guys, I passed out hours ago and then just got up. By the way, I am having flashbacks about cutting myself and other strange memories. Plus, mirrors give me the creeps now."</p>
<p>Yeah… no.</p>
<p>I got some people trying to scam me for a prize for a contest I never entered. No thank you. My therapist tried to get me to come back. I all but scotched at their calls. Why can't they just take a hint? I don't want to go back. They can't help me. It was all Yuki's stupid idea in the first place. Since she disappeared, I just stopped going.</p>
<p>Then came that last number. I should've just deleted the message without listening to it. But something inside of me wouldn't let me do it. My finger hoovered over the key for what felt like forever. Before I knew, I had hit play. At first, I heard static. I should've hung up then. But the line went silent. Only for a second before I heard a familiar voice singing.</p>
<p>"A canary sings. A cradle song. Sleep, sleep, sleep, child! Above the cradle, the loquat fruits sway. Sleep, sleep, sleep, child!"</p>
<p>What… What is this? This woman sounded like me. Not yet it wasn't me. Was that a baby crying in the background?</p>
<p>"A squirrel rocks. The cradle by its rope. Sleep, sleep, sleep, child! Dreams in a cradle, with the yellow moon shining down. Sleep, sleep, sleep, child!"</p>
<p>There was another pause before the next few words triggered something inside of me.</p>
<p>"I love you, my son."</p>
<p>My heart raced against my chest. More memories started to fill my head. When was a I mother? I could see my little son. His cheeks were so little and round. He slept so peacefully in my arms. How could something be so soft and delicate? My heart sank as I remembered what happened to him in his short life.</p>
<p>I reached up and touched my cheek. Oh no… Why was I crying? No. Not this again. I slowly rose to my feet. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. I sink down to my knees. My head started to swim. I think I'm going to be sick.</p>
<p>Suddenly, my phone rang.</p>
<p>Who is it now? Against my better judgment, I called over and picked up the phone.</p>
<p>"Hello?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello?" a voice repeated on the other line. It sounded like my voice only more robotic. Each 'hello' got faster and faster. I tossed my phone across the room. What the hell was that? I could hear a baby crying from my phone.</p>
<p>No, that wasn't coming from my phone.</p>
<p>I ran to my front door and stuck my head outside. Suddenly, the crying stopped. I would hate to think that I was going crazy. I… I need to get something to eat.</p>
<p>Right.</p>
<p>I pushed myself to my feet and walked to the kitchen. I just need something to eat and then I can figure out what to do from there. I turned my head and looked over at my phone. It looked so lonely and abandoned just lying there on the phone. Still, I didn't want to pick it up. Nothing good comes from phones. Or mirrors.</p>
<p>I smacked myself in the cheeks. Come on, I can't be thinking like that. Get it together. I took a deep breath. I can do this. I am going to be fine.</p>
<hr/>
<p>I have been trying to act normal for the rest of the day. Too many flashes of memory came into my head. I tried to put the pieces together. I married and I had a son. Somehow, the baby died and everything fell apart.</p>
<p>I rubbed my forehead.</p>
<p>It didn't make any sense. I'm only eighteen. I haven't even been kissed yet. But have I really? I turned and looked at my phone still on the floor. I should call somebody. How long have I been alone? I need to try and talk to someone. I wondered what my friends were up to over summer break.</p>
<p>I was just about to shove more rice into my mouth when my phone rang again. Did I will them to call me? I started to get up but froze. Something inside of me told me not to pick it up. The ringing demanded that I answer. I slowly lowered my chopsticks and walked into the living room.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Noriko asked.</p>
<p>"Good evening, dear," a man's voice said on the other line. At first, it didn't register in my head.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but who is this?" I asked.</p>
<p>"You do know who this," he said. I slowly shook my head.</p>
<p>"No," I said. "I think you have the wrong number."</p>
<p>"No, I don't." Why didn't I hang up then? I had a bad feeling about this.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I just want to talk, dear," this man said. Something about the word "dear" made me cringe. I really should've hung up then. It got worse when he asked me one question that sent me further into a spiral.</p>
<p>"You really don't remember being my patient, do you?" he asked. I froze. A flash of memory shot through my head.</p>
<p>"Kitano… -sensei?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said. "You are starting to remember. The question is how much." I slowly shook my head.</p>
<p>"No… This is not happening," I said.</p>
<p>"Oh, but it is," Kitano-sensei said. "Now, how much do you remember?"</p>
<p>"No…" I said again. More memories started flooding back. I saw a dull grey room. Particles of dust floated around in the air. I sat on the bed with no life in my eyes. Was I even aware of where I was?</p>
<p>"It's not real. It's not real," I mumbled to myself.</p>
<p>"Oh, but it is," Kitano said. The color drained from my face.</p>
<p>"But I don't even know you," I whimpered with a trembling voice. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes.</p>
<p>"But you do," he said. Then he said a last name that I hadn't heard in years. My phone slipped from my hand and hit the phone.</p>
<p>"Hello? Hello?"</p>
<p>I didn't hear his voice. I don't even remember what happened next. Before I knew, I had run out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>I don't want to go back home. I didn't take my phone with me. I don't think I even locked the door. I looked over my shoulder. No, I can't go back. But what am I going to do? I started to chew on my thumb again. None of this makes any sense. None of this makes any sense.</p>
<p>The flapping of wings made me turn my head. It was then I noticed where I was. When did I get on the playground? And it's night? I looked down at my body. A scream built up in my chest as I saw streaks of red all over my skin. Did I do all of this? When did this happen? It felt like something was crawling underneath and burning. I shivered as I tried to remember what I did in those hours I lost. My head started to feel so fuzzy.</p>
<p>I think I'm going to be sick.</p>
<p>I took in gulps of air. I didn't know why I was here but I didn't want to go home either. My friend are going to wonder where I am. They couldn't reach me if they called. I didn't have a phone on me. I didn't even have any pockets either. I took a look around. There was no one in sight. On the one hand, no one could see me like this. But who would find me if I broke down?</p>
<p>Suddenly, my body went still.</p>
<p>Somebody is humming in my ears. It's almost so… so….</p>
<p>I could just stay here for a while. That should be fine, right?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Puzzle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Two: Puzzle:</p>
<p>Mikado found Noriko standing alone in a playground. She was stood near the swings staring out into space. Something was about her felt off. He started taking slower steps towards her.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa?" Mikado asked. The girl turned her head. Mikado hesitated at first. He could see nothing in her eyes. Her face reminded him of a crudely stitched together rag doll. A small smile spread across her face.</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun!" Noriko said. The tadpole boy took a step back.</p>
<p>"Are you… Ishikawa?" he asked. They both stood in silence for a moment. Noriko only had on a long white nightgown. She didn't have any shoes on her feet. Her vacant stare put him off. It was then he noticed her arms.</p>
<p>"Are you… cutting again?" he asked. The tadpole paused. This whole set up felt familiar. Same location and same dialogue. Noriko looked down at her arms. She saw the fresh cuts all over the skin. Mikado also noticed the cuts were on her legs too. The girl didn't say anything.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa, what is going on here? Are you okay?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. There was no emotion in her voice. Mikado didn't look so convinced.</p>
<p>"What are you doing out here?" he asked. Noriko shook her head. Was she high or under a spell? Mikado didn't like the answer to either one. He slowly walked over to her.</p>
<p>"Let's get you home, okay?" the tadpole said. Mikado reached out for her arm but she pulled away.</p>
<p>"I have a riddle for you," Noriko said out of the blue. The tadpole gave her a strange look.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" he asked. That calm look on her face gave him the creeps. Noriko acted like she didn't hear him.</p>
<p>"I was out walking earlier today when I heard a woman scream loudly," she began. "This startled me. So I ran to the place where I heard the scream come from. And I saw a woman sitting on the ground in front of a large iron block about two meters in length and two meters in width and very thick."</p>
<p>"Okay, where are you going with this?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"I tried talking to the woman but she was just too stunned to talk," Noriko went on. "A man dressed in construction worker's clothes came up to me and explained what happened. It seemed like the iron had been dropped to the ground while they were working. Thankfully, it looked like nobody got hurt. The woman had just fallen over due to shock. But I must admit I felt shivers run through me as I looked at the large metal block on top of the red tiles."</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" the tadpole boy asked?"</p>
<p>"I went home after that but in the late afternoon before the sunset I visited the scene of the accident again. The block was still there probably due to its very heavy weight and the fact that they couldn't move it yet," the girl said in the same rhythm as before. "The area was cordoned off with a security guard standing in front of it. The woman who I had seen earlier was still there. I went over to talk to her what happened. 'Earlier must have been quite shocking.'" Mikado waved his hand in front of her face.</p>
<p>"Are you listening to me?" he asked. Her face came within inches of his.</p>
<p>"The woman replied, 'Yes, I was quite shocked especially when I heard the scream,'" Noriko said in a low voice. Mikado narrowed his eyes as it clicked in his brain.</p>
<p>"Did the person behind her get crushed to death?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Ding-ding!" Noriko chirped. What was with the sudden mood swing? One moment she had no emotion on her face and now she perked up.</p>
<p>"Right, I am taking you home right now," Mikado said. He grabbed her by the sleeve and started dragging her along. Noriko didn't offer up any resistance.</p>
<p>Mikado led the unstable girl down the street. He couldn't help but to feel like something was off about this situation. Not just with Noriko either. The tadpole boy looked over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"What happened to you?" he asked. She looked at him with no emotion.</p>
<p>"What were you doing out here?" Mikado asked again. She didn't speak. Still, he couldn't give up.</p>
<p>"You know, we've all been worried about you," he said. "You haven't been out of your apartment. You haven't been answering any of our calling. Are you okay?" His ear caught her mumbling something under her breath.</p>
<p>"I have another riddle for you."</p>
<p>"Come on," Mikado said. "We don't have time for that."</p>
<p>"I found an ancient book on black magic," she spoke again. "It explains how to put a curse on someone. This is what was written in the instructions if you follow these steps exactly the curse will be placed on the person of your choosing. However if you make even one small mistake, the curse will be placed on you instead. So be careful. Do you still wish to proceed?" Her voice is so soft that the tadpole boy had to stop and listen.</p>
<p>"Of course I do," Noriko said. "I have an enemy. There is someone who I hate with all my heart. Someone I wish would die horribly. I want to place a curse on this person. That's why I searched for this book. I want this curse to work so I will follow the steps exactly." Where was all of this coming from? It didn't make sense for her to come out here just to tell many pointless riddles. Mikado couldn't figure out what was going on here.</p>
<p>"Step one: Close your eyes and imagine your enemy. That's simple. I couldn't forget their face even if I wanted to. Okay what's next?" Noriko said. The way she spoke had no emotion again. Mikado might as well have been dragging around a robotic doll. He had some theories running around in his head. Was she under a spell or something?</p>
<p>"Are you sure you are okay?" Mikado asked. He reached forward and touched her on the forehead. Noriko didn't even bother to move.</p>
<p>"Step two: Imagine the curse you wish to place on your enemy and what it will do to them. I want this person to suffer the worst kind of pain imaginable I want them to be suffering so much they will wish they were dead. Alright, what's the final step?" she said as he drew back his hand. Maybe Mikado should try and call Masaomi or Anri for help.</p>
<p>"Step three: open your eyes," Noriko said with a monotone voice. Mikado froze as he stared at the unsound girl.</p>
<p>"You opened your eyes to read the second step and now you are cursed," he asked. Noriko broke into a huge grin.</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" she said. The whiplash in moods was jarring. This had to be a manic phase that she was in. But Noriko didn't exhibit any of the signs of being as such. She wasn't talking too fast. She seemed to be giving off low energy. Noriko wasn't putting up much of a fight in being dragged home.</p>
<p>"I am taking you home," Mikado repeated. "We are going home, okay?" Suddenly, Noriko sat down on the ground.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" the tadpole boy asked. She kept grinning at him.</p>
<p>"I want to stay on the ground," Noriko said.</p>
<p>"No, we have to go home," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Nope," she said. The tadpole boy frowned.</p>
<p>"Quit playing around," he said. "I am getting you home." He reached forward to try and pull her but Noriko just sat back down.</p>
<p>"Come on," Mikado said. "I have to get you home. You are clearly not okay."</p>
<p>"Another one!" she shouted.</p>
<p>"No," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Yes," Noriko said.</p>
<p>"I have to get you back home," he said again. "Please quit playing around." She puffed up her cheeks.</p>
<p>"Another one!" she snapped. Mikado threw back his head and groaned.</p>
<p>"Fine," he said. Noriko had a brief smile on her face before she spoke.</p>
<p>"There was a group of eight college students who all belonged to the Mountain Climbing Club," the unstable girl said. "One day during the winter, they decided to climb the tallest mountain in the area. During the ascent, the weather took a turn for the worse. They ran into trouble and were stranded near the top for two weeks. Eventually, a rescue team managed to reach them." The whole time, Mikado looked around. There wasn't anyone in sight. He didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. He didn't have an explanation for why his friend was sitting on the ground in her nightgown covered in cuts. Have would that even be explained away?</p>
<p>Uh… yeah. I found my friend standing around in the playground. No, I don't know how she got all of those cuts on her arms and legs or why she's wearing a nightgown. She is refusing to go home and is now sitting on the ground, telling me creepy riddles.</p>
<p>That wasn't going to fly.</p>
<p>"There were only seven survivors. They were airlifted to a nearby hospital. After a few days, six of them made a full recovery," Noriko spoke up. She stretched her neck from side to side. Mikado was almost tempted to sit down on the ground with her. He quickly shook his head.</p>
<p><em>No! I can't give into her mania. You have to get her home. Just humor her long enough to get her home.</em> The tadpole boy tried not to focus on how much Noriko smiled the whole time.</p>
<p>"But the seventh survivor was so traumatized by the experience that he lost his mind and was put into a mental hospital," she went on. "The police questioned the remaining six about what happened in the two weeks that they were stranded on the mountain. They also asked what happened to the missing climber. Each survivor told the same story. They all said that he just wandered off and never came back." Mikado was about to speak when Noriko held up her hand.</p>
<p>"Hang on, let me finish," she said. The tadpole boy was thrown off-guard with this response. Up until now, this unstable girl would just ramble on without a reaction. Could the manic be kicking in?</p>
<p>"Then they went to the mental hospital to question the seventh survivor but they couldn't get any sense out of him. When they asked him what happened to the missing eighth climber, he just kept banging his head against the padded walls and repeating over and over the number eight," she finished.</p>
<p>"The other six climbers ate the last the guy, right?" Mikado asked. Noriko's smiled widened into a grin.</p>
<p>"Pin-pon! Pin pon!" she shouted.</p>
<p>"Okay, get up," the founder of the Dollars said. "You promised." He took hold of wrists and pulled her to her feet. Noriko didn't even resist.</p>
<p>"No more playing around, okay?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Okay!" she said aloud. Mikado was not convinced at all. He wished that he had Masaomi or Anri to help him drag her along. The boy wished that he had pulled out his phone and called when he had the chance. If they stopped for another riddle, Mikado decided to pull out his phone and make the call. Suddenly, he felt Noriko stop in place. The founder of the Dollars turned his head.</p>
<p>"What is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I have another riddle," she said. Mikado sighed and dropped his shoulders. He just gave up at this point.</p>
<p>"What is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>"It's hard being a father," Noriko said. "I recently found out that my son is psychic. He has this habit of pointing at people's faces. Sometimes my wife and I realized that whenever are some points of somebody like that it means they're going to die." She had her eyes down as she spoke. Her voice was lowered as well.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa?" Mikado asked. The thought of possession crossed his mind. Looked like he was going to have to call Masaomi or Anri for help on this.</p>
<p>"Within three days last year, he pointed at his grandfather. Three days later, his grandfather died of a heart attack," she went on. "A few months, ago he pointed at a picture of a famous actress in a magazine. Three days later and she was killed in a car accident. Today, when I went to turn on the TV. My son was pointing at the screen. When I turned it on, the prime minister was giving a speech. I can't believe the prime minister is going to die but my son is never wrong."</p>
<p>"The father is going to die?" the tadpole boy asked. The unstable girl perked up.</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" she said. At this point, Mikado decided to make the call.</p>
<p>"Stay right here," he said. Noriko watched as he pulled out his phone. She tilted her head.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Mikado asked. "Are you still awake?" He breathed out in relief.</p>
<p>"Oh good," he said. "I found her. It's kind of hard to explain." The tadpole boy glanced up at Noriko for a moment. She was staring up at the sky, lost in her head.</p>
<p>"I don't think she's right in the head," Mikado whispered. "I can't figure out what's wrong. She has cuts all over her arms and legs." The founder of the Dollars nodded.</p>
<p>"I am trying to take her home, but…" he said. The boy struggled to put his plight into words.</p>
<p>"It's a little bit more difficult than I thought," the tadpole admitted. "She keeps stalling for some reason with strange riddles. I know, it's just weird. I am kind of at a disadvantage. Can you help us out? Thank you so much! Oh, where are we? Uh…" Mikado happened to look up in in to notice that Noriko was nowhere in sight.</p>
<p>"Huh?" he asked. The person on the other line started asking him if he was still there.</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah, yeah," Mikado was quick to say. "Listen, I am going to call you right back." He hung up without saying a word. The tadpole boy looked around.</p>
<p>"Where did Ishikawa go?" he asked. That sinking feeling started to creep up into Mikado's head as he started to picture the worst.</p>
<p>"I just hope that I can find her first," he said to himself. The tadpole boy vanished from the street in a flash.</p>
<hr/>
<p>By chance, Mikado tracked Noriko down at Higurashi Ikebukoro Central Park. He had no idea how she got this far without him noticing in a short amount of time. She was about to walk up to the fountain.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa!" Mikado shouted. The girl paused with her back turned to him.</p>
<p>"You found me," she said.</p>
<p>"This is not a game," he said. "I am taking you home right now."</p>
<p>"Another one," Noriko said.</p>
<p>"I'm serious," Mikado said. "We are going home right now." He reached for her arm but she pulled away.</p>
<p>"A few years ago, a rich old man was found in the study of his own home with a gunshot wound to his head," she said aloud. "The police arrived at his home and the butler answered the door. The police then asked to see the body and the butler led them upstairs to the old man's study. The old man was sitting slumped over his desk. There was a pool of blood around his head in his right hand was a pistol and in his left a tape recorder." Noriko didn't turn around as she spoke. Mikado slipped his hand into his pockets.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa, this is enough," he said. "We are going home now."</p>
<p>"After dusting the gun for fingerprints, they only found the fingerprints of the old man on it," she said over him. The tadpole boy closed his mouth. She was really going to do this, wasn't she?</p>
<p>"One of the policemen pressed the play button on the tape recorder," Noriko added. "They heard the old man's voice saying, 'My name is Sero Ichiro I'm lonely and unhappy so I've decided to leave this cruel world. I'm sorry may God have mercy on my soul.' A few seconds later they heard the sound of a gunshot." She braced herself for the next part.</p>
<p>"As soon as the policeman heard this message, he knew it wasn't suicide it was murder," the girl said. Mikado frowned.</p>
<p>"So who rewound the tape to the beginning?" he asked. Noriko turned around and grinned.</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" she said.</p>
<p>"Okay, that's enough," Mikado said. "We're going home now. No more games." He tried to grab onto her arm but Noriko pulled away.</p>
<p>"Now what?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Food," she said. The boy narrowed his eyes.</p>
<p>"So… you're hungry now?" he asked. Noriko nodded her head up and down.</p>
<p>"Fine," Mikado said. "After that, I am taking you home." She didn't say a word. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along. This wasn't working. If he tried to call for back-up, she would just run off again. It's almost as if Noriko didn't want to go home. She kept her eyes down as they walked down the street. Mikado looked over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Why don't you want to go home, Ishikawa?" he asked. She didn't look up.</p>
<p>"Is somebody in your apartment that you don't want there?" the founder of the Dollars tried again. Noriko shook her head. Another thought crossed Mikado's mind.</p>
<p>"Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said in a small voice.</p>
<p>"What's the matter?" the tadpole boy asked. Noriko raised her head.</p>
<p>"Can I tell you another one?" she asked in monotone voice. Mikado sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p>
<p>"Just as long as we keep going," he said.</p>
<p>"There were two young girls named Aya and Maya who are identical twins," Noriko said. "They lived with their parents and their older brother in a large mansion on the edge of town. Everybody was jealous of the girls because their father was rich and he bought them everything they wanted." Why did she dodge his question? Something didn't feel right. Why were they doing this?</p>
<p>"One night, the girls were kidnapped," she said. "When they awoke, they found themselves blindfolded and tied to chairs. The girls were extremely frightened and they began to cry. Suddenly Maya heard a high-pitched voice whispering into her ear It was the kidnapper." They stopped at the crosswalk light. Mikado turned his head. Noriko kept her eyes to the ground. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. So far, there were still no people around. The empty streets gave him chills.</p>
<p>"'I have contacted your parents and I'm demanding 103,538¥ ransom if you try to escape, I will kill Aya.'," Noriko said in a low growl. Mikado whipped his head around. She had a serious, cold look on her face.</p>
<p>"Then Aya heard the kidnapper whisper into her ear, 'I've contacted your parents and I'm demanding 103,538¥ ransom. If you try to escape, I will kill Maya.'," the girl said. She had an intense stare locked on him. Mikado gulped.</p>
<p>"Their brother is the kidnapper," he said. Noriko perked up.</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" she said.</p>
<p>"Right…" was all Mikado said. He pulled her across the crosswalk.</p>
<hr/>
<p>They arrived at Russia Sushi. The plan was supposed to be simple. Get her something to eat, listen whatever puzzle she throws at him, answer her, and then get her home. Sounds easy enough, right?</p>
<p>Mikado and Noriko sat in a booth together. He already ordered for the both of them. While they waited, Mikado figured that he would be the first one to speak.</p>
<p>"Do you have another riddle?" he asked. Noriko raised her hand up in the air. Simon came over to their booth.</p>
<p>"What can I do for you?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Could I have a pen, please?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Sure," he said. Simon disappeared into the back. When he came back, he had a pen in his hand.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. Simon returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Noriko picked up a napkin and started writing on it.</p>
<p>"I can still remember playing saga to on the Gameboy when I was young," she said. "In America and Europe they, called it <em>Fighting Fantasy Legend</em> - it really was a great game and I had many hours of fun trying to complete it. However, something happened when I was ten years old that caused me to stop playing it altogether." Her eyes never left her napkin. Mikado tried to look at what she was writing.</p>
<p>"Don't," she said. The boy quickly sat back.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Noriko said. She traced in the letters with darker ink.</p>
<p>"I broke my leg during a game of soccer and it was a really bad fracture so I had to spend three days in the hospital," she said. "There were three other people in the hospital ward with me: an old man, an old woman, and a young girl around the same age as me. I lay there bored out of my mind in this cold uncomfortable hospital bed. There was absolutely nothing to do. Luckily when my mother came to visit, she brought my Gameboy to keep me entertained." Mikado took the liberty to glance around. There was no one else around. So far, he had seen anyone else around. By now, something seemed off about tonight. Why haven't they seen anyone around? Mikado stared her Noriko as she kept writing on the napkin.</p>
<p><em>Could she being doing this?</em> But how?</p>
<p>"The young girl in the bed next to mine was very pale and sickly. She had dark circles under her eyes," the girl said. "That evening, her mother came to visit. As well she brought some kind of drinks and snacks for the girl. I overheard her talking to one of the nurses and from what I could make out, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with the girl. She had some type of mystery illness and they were still doing tests. I spent most of my time playing Fighting Fantasy on my Gameboy. At one point, I glanced up and I noticed the girl staring at me. Her eyes were very sad. When she saw me looking at her, her cheeks went red." Her hands seemed to move along with her mouth. She seemed to be mumbling loud enough for only Mikado to hear her. His mind went back to what she said earlier. What was she trying to tell him?</p>
<p>"What were you trying to tell me earlier?" the tadpole boy asked. Once again, his question went ignored.</p>
<p>"'Do you want to play?' I asked, holding up my Gameboy. 'You can borrow it if you like.' The girl's eyes lit up and she smiled," Noriko said again. "'Okay, I'd like that,' she said. I told her that my name was Reata and she told me that hers was Sayaka. I couldn't get out of bed, but I managed to toss the Gameboy over to her. She didn't understand the game so I had to teach her how to play.</p>
<p>"Over the next couple of days, we became very friendly. Time just flew by as we talked about school, the movies that we both liked, and our favorite bands. Before I even knew it, the time had come for me to go home. My parents arrived and they helped me into a wheelchair. As we're leaving, I noticed that Sayaka was crying. I said, 'Don't be sad as soon as I'm able to walk again. I'll come and visit you.' Her face seemed to brighten up. 'You promise?' she said. 'I promise.' I handed her my Gameboy. 'Here's something to play with until you see me again.' I told her." By now, Simon came over to their booth with their food.</p>
<p>"Here you go," he said. He set down their sushi and walked off.</p>
<p>"Yay!" Noriko cheered. She picked up a piece of sushi and started eating. Mikado watched her do so.</p>
<p>"So what happens next?" he asked. Noriko looked up at him while chewing. She swallowed and picked up the pen again.</p>
<p>"A week later I was on crutches and I decided to go back to the hospital to visit Sayaka," she said, writing on her napkin again. "My parents drove me to the hospital, but when I got to the ward there was no sign of her. The old man and the old woman was still there but Sayaka's bed was empty. Her name wasn't even on the door maybe. She's been discharged already I thought. I went to the nurse's desk and I asked what happened to see Sayaka. 'I'm sorry Sayaka is gone,' said the nurse gone. 'Where?' I asked. The nurse had tears in her eyes. 'She's gone to another place.' I may have been young, but I wasn't stupid. I knew what she really meant. She didn't need to sugarcoat it for me. I was stunned." Mikado could feel Simon and Dennis watching them. They had the same thought in mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>What is she talking about?</em>
</p>
<p>Mikado shifted his focus back to Noriko and her riddle.</p>
<p>"Sayaka was dead. I just stood there balancing on my crutches unable to move," she said as she finished up with her writing. "The nurse then said, 'She wanted you to have this.' She held out my Gameboy and I took it without uttering a word. Then with my heart full of sadness, I turned and I hobbled down the corridor. That night, I didn't feel like eating anything. I just lay in my bedroom with the lights off thinking about Sayaka. My heart was aching. After a while, I turned on the Gameboy but I was too sad to play it. The game reminded me too much of her. Then I opened up the saved game and I realized that the names of the players had been changed." Noriko looked up when at Mikado's tray.</p>
<p>"Huh? You're not going to eat that?" she asked.</p>
<p>"No, not really hungry," he said.</p>
<p>"Oh," was all Noriko said. She picked up a piece of sushi and shoved it into her mouth without a thought. While she was chewing, Mikado happened to look down and notice what she had written on her napkin.</p>
<p>"xHelpx xMyx xMomx xIsx xPoisoningx xMex," he read aloud. The boy lifted his head. Noriko covered her mouth as if to hide her smile.</p>
<p>"Oh come on, that's not fair," Mikado said. "You just gave me the answer." The girl swallowed the last piece of chewed-up sushi.</p>
<p>"Sorry," she said, sounding like a little baby. She gave him little puppy dog eyes as an extra measure. Mikado sighed and shook his head. He picked up a piece of sushi and ate it.</p>
<hr/>
<p>After that impromptu dinner, Mikado and Noriko stood outside of Russia Sushi. The tadpole boy tried to keep calm.</p>
<p>"Okay, I am taking you home," he said. "Look at me. Look at me." Mikado took her by her cheeks and turned her face towards him.</p>
<p>"I am taking you home," the founder of the Dollars said. "No more playing around. Don't run off on me. We are going straight home. Do you understand me?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" she chirped. Mikado took a breath.</p>
<p>"Right," he said. "In fact…" Mikado crouched down in front of her.</p>
<p>"Climb on," he said. Noriko looked confused at first.</p>
<p>"Why?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Just climb," Mikado said, fighting not to show her how stressed he was. Noriko walked up and climbed onto his back. The tadpole boy held her in place. He ran the risk of increasing her desires but that didn't matter right now. At least she wouldn't be able to run off that easily.</p>
<p>They walked down the street. The silence made Mikado rather nervous. Where did everyone go at this time of night? Something wasn't right. The tadpole boy couldn't even sense any ghosts or demons around.</p>
<p>
  <em>This is not good.</em>
</p>
<p>"I have another riddle," Noriko said on his back. Mikado began to relax.</p>
<p>"Okay, let's hear it," he said.</p>
<p>"One day when I was six years old, my little sister would not stop crying," Noriko said. "It annoyed me so much that I killed her and I threw her body down the well. The next day when I peered down into the well her body had disappeared." Mikado made a face at that.</p>
<p>"That's kind of dark," he said.</p>
<p>"When I was twelve, I got into an argument with my best friend over something stupid," she went on. "He made me so angry that I killed him and I threw his body down the well too. the next day when I checked the well his body was also gone." For a second there, Mikado thought he saw a wave of fog surrounding them. He blinked and it vanished. The only thing keeping him together was Noriko's annoying and creepy riddles.</p>
<p>"When I was eighteen years old, my girlfriend got pregnant," she said. "I didn't want to be a father. So I killed her and I threw her body down the well. The next day when I looked down the well it had disappeared."</p>
<p>"That's just horrible," Mikado cut in. "I don't think I want to hear the rest of this one." By now, he knew that he might as well be talking to himself.</p>
<p>"When I was twenty-four, I worked in an office and my boss was an asshole," Noriko said. "I couldn't take it anymore so I killed him and I threw his body down the well. The next day when I went to check, his body had disappeared." Mikado noticed that the fog was coming back. No, it wasn't his imagination after all. Something inside of him told him that something was coming.</p>
<p>"When I was thirty, my mother got sick and was bedridden," the unstable girl added. "I didn't want to take care of her so I killed her and I threw her body down the well. The next day when I looked into the well, her body was still there. I checked the well every day after that but her body never disappears." Mikado froze.</p>
<p>"The mother was the one who's been getting rid of all those bodies?" he asked. "But that she's dead, she can't move the bodies anymore."</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" she said. Mikado winced at her shouting in his ear. When he looked around, he noticed that something was off.</p>
<p>"When did we get back to the playground?" he asked. Sure enough, he found himself standing in from of the swing that Noriko was standing in front of. Did they just walk around in a big circle? Mikado turned his head.</p>
<p>"Did you do this?" he asked. She didn't answer him.</p>
<p>"How are you doing this?" the tadpole boy asked. Instead of an answer is another riddle.</p>
<p>"There was a young woman who lived alone," Noriko started up again. "One night, she was getting ready for bed. She went into the bathroom to wash her face. She turned on the tap and the water came gushing out. She splashed some water on her face and then took some liquid soap and massaged it into her skin. Just then, she thought she heard something. It sounded like footsteps. The soap was still on her face so she couldn't open her eyes. She fumbled for the tap and turned it on. The water came gushing out. She rinsed off her face, dried it with a towel, and looked around."</p>
<p>"Stop this," he said. "How are you doing all of this?" Noriko leaned in close to his ear.</p>
<p>"The bathroom was empty. Nobody else was there," she whispered.</p>
<p>"But there had to be," Mikado said, blinking. "Why else would she need to turn the water on again?"</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" Noriko said. The tadpole boy frowned. When will this end? Why did she keep doing this? How did they end up going back to the park?</p>
<p>"Enough of this," he spoke up. "I am taking you home. No more no tricks and no more games." Noriko didn't argue this time as Mikado went down the right direction this.</p>
<p>"I have another," she said instead. The tadpole boy rolled his eyes but said nothing.</p>
<p>"A man was working in his toolshed when his son came in crying," Noriko said. "The father asked him what was wrong. 'Dad, I was playing marbles with some of the other boys at school. One of them stuffed a ball bearing in my ear and it won't come out.' 'Don't worry, son,' said the father. 'I'm sure I have something here that will get it out." Mikado tried to see if he could feel anything this time. Nothing. No fog and he could hear sounds of the city late at night.</p>
<p>Still, Mikado had his questions for Noriko. Can she really warp time and confuse directions? But that didn't make any sense. Why would a mere normal have the power to do that? It wasn't like Noriko was going to answer him anyway.</p>
<p>"The father's favorite hobbies were science and Warcraft," she went on. "His workshop was filled with all manner of contraptions, gizmos, and inventions. He gazed around his tool shed and he settled on a super-strong electromagnet this machine. 'Here is a magnet,' he told his son. 'The ball bearing is made of metal, right?' The son nodded his head. 'Yes, right, so when I turn on this machine it will yank the ball bearing out.' The man placed his son's ear up against the magnet. He flicked the switch and there was a loud clang. His son crumpled to the floor, killed instantly." She leaned down to his ear again.</p>
<p>"How did the son die?" the unstable girl asked. Mikado could see her apartment a few feet from the parking lot. He stood up straighter.</p>
<p>"The father got the wrong ear," the tadpole boy said.</p>
<p>"Pi-pon! Pi-pon!" Noriko said. They made it to the stairs of her apartment.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to carry you up the stairs?" Mikado asked. The girl shook her head.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to put you down?" he asked. She didn't speak as she lowered her eyes. The founder of the Dollars lowered himself down to let Noriko stand on her own two feet. She started to walk towards her stairs but froze. Mikado tilted his head.</p>
<p>"What's the wrong?" he asked. Noriko had her back turned to her. She lifted her chin.</p>
<p>"I have a story to tell you," she said. Mikado's face dropped.</p>
<p>"You can't be serious," he said.</p>
<p>"No, listen!" Noriko shouted. The founder of the Dollars grew quiet.</p>
<p>"There was once a man and a woman," she said in a trembling voice. "They were once so happy together. They had son shortly after they got married. To the woman, this was all she wanted. But one day, the little boy died. The woman couldn't take the guilt and sorrow knowing that she had a hand in her baby's death. Her husband didn't know what to do as the woman started to go further down a downward spiral. He ended up taking her away to the worse place in the world. Since then, they have been chasing each other in an endless war that neither know how to stop." Mikado looked so confused.</p>
<p>"I don't get this one," he said.</p>
<p>"That woman was me," Noriko said in a low voice.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"Haven't you noticed why I have been doing this all night?" she asked. "I was trying to keep you safe. They were trying to kill you tonight. You saw the fog, didn't you?" The tadpole boy's eyes widened.</p>
<p>"That was a warning," she said. "This is all my fault. I let my baby die and now this is my punishment." Noriko turned around at that point. She had tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes looked so dead and empty. The color drained from Mikado's face.</p>
<p>"Are you… Ishikawa?" he asked.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Makoto</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Three: Makoto:</p>
<p>"Yeah, I got her back home," Mikado said over the phone. "Where is she now?" He peeked around the corner into the room. Noriko lay sleeping in her futon.</p>
<p>"Ishikawa is asleep right now," he said.</p>
<p>"Why was she out there in the first place?" Masaomi asked on the other line. His friend shook his head.</p>
<p>"I don't know," Mikado said. "She never did give me a straight answer. She didn't give me any answer. I don't even think she will remember last night." Another thought crossed his mind.</p>
<p>"Where did everyone go last night?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Masaomi asked. "What are you talking about?" The tadpole boy shook his head.</p>
<p>"Nothing," he said. "Just be careful, okay?"</p>
<p>"Sure…" he said. Mikado paused for a moment to look into the room again. Noriko turned over in her sleep.</p>
<p>"Listen," he said. "I'm going to stay with Noriko until she wakes up."</p>
<p>"Alright," Masaomi said. "Do you want me to call you later?"</p>
<p>"Yes, please," Mikado said.</p>
<p>"Good," his best friend said. "How are you?" The tadpole boy leaned back and rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"Honestly," he said. "I'm a bit weirded out." Mikado laid down onto the floor. His mind went back to Noriko's warning last night.</p>
<p>"I was trying to keep you safe. They were trying to kill you tonight. You saw the fog, didn't you?"</p>
<p>Mikado stared up at the ceiling. He rubbed his forehead. Who was trying to kill him now?</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Makoto-</p>
<p>I can't sleep anymore.</p>
<p>I hear their voices even more when I am alone. Michiko is still trying to drag me into the fight. Why can't she leave me alone? I don't want to fight anymore. She can't seem to get that through her head. I drew my knees to my chest.</p>
<p>"Makoto?" I heard someone say. My ears strained when I heard footsteps coming towards me.</p>
<p>"Makoto, why are you still up?" Evie asked. I shook my head. She rested her hand on my shoulder. I didn't jerk away from her.</p>
<p>"Makoto," she said again. Her voice sounded so distant. I started trembling. The color had long since drained from my face. I think I'm going to be sick.</p>
<p>Things have gotten worse. I can't stop seeing them. It's happening again, isn't it? The city is going to fall into ruin, and everyone is going to die, aren't they? I can't escape it, can't I?</p>
<p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p>
<p>I lifted my head. There she was. Michiko stood in front of me in my mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh god. Not you again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>We've got no choice.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I can't do this anymore. It's too late. They're all going to die anyway.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bullshit!</em>
</p>
<p>I froze. Michiko folded her arms across her chest and frowned. She glared at me.</p>
<p>
  <em>What do you want from me?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You have to help me stop this! There is still time. The horsemen aren't here yet.</em>
</p>
<p><em>What's the point? They are just going to screw us over no matter what! You know this. Why do you keep fighting this pointless war? You know they will win again.</em> I could hear her growling at me. Why can't she see the truth? Why was Michiko in such denial about this? But then she said something that made the air catch in my throat.</p>
<p>
  <em>She's starting to get more of her memories back, you know.</em>
</p>
<p>My stomach dropped.</p>
<p>
  <em>No…</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>That's right. I think her power is starting to awaken too. Now, you have no choice but to fight back. He's going to make us all active in this game.</em>
</p>
<p><em>No!</em> I covered my head with my hands. <em>Please leave me alone!</em></p>
<p>
  <em>We don't have a choice anymore. Things have changed. The game is different now. You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. Get up and fight. If not for them, do it for her. She can't handle it this time.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>No… I can't…</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Are you just going to keep running away from her?!</em>
</p>
<p>I froze. <em>Running away…</em> Michiko was now glaring at me. As much as I hated it, I knew what I had to do. Suddenly, my body went stiff. I rose to my feet.</p>
<p>"Makoto?" I heard Evie ask. Before I knew it, I had walked out the door.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Kitano and Etsuko-</p>
<p>Kitano looked at his tablet. "We still have loose thread to tackle" Etsuko turned her head.</p>
<p>"Orihara-san, you mean?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Correct," he said. He glanced up at the doctor. "It's getting too dangerous to have him running loose."</p>
<p>"Agreed," Etsuko said. "What do you plan to do?" Kitano sat back in his chair.</p>
<p>"It would work best if we make him more active in the game," he said. "You see, he likes to be in the shadows. He just sits and watches everyone."</p>
<p>"Yes," Etsuko said.</p>
<p>"We can't be having any of that, now can we?" the therapist asked. The doctor gave him a sly smirk.</p>
<p>"So, what do you propose?" she asked. Kitano looked up at her.</p>
<p>"We need to push him to be more active," he said. "And it's a good thing that circumstances around him are making him do so." Suddenly, his phone rang.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Kitano said. The therapist picked up the phone.</p>
<p>"Yes?" he asked. "Uh-huh. So, you have it all set? Excellent. When can we see the results? Five to six days? Fair enough. Anything else you want to tell me? Alright, I will hear from you soon." Kitano hung up.</p>
<p>"Well?" Etsuko asked. The therapist lifted his head.</p>
<p>"Mam has tracked down Raphael," he said. "They are going to wake him up."</p>
<p>"Should we act?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"No," Kitano said. He turned off his tablet. "Just like before, Raphael could help us in the long run. As long as they don't have Gabriel, we can still keep our lead." Etsuko raised her eyebrow.</p>
<p>"And you know where it is?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Why yes," he said. "But I cannot tell you. It's not that I don't trust you, but I believe the less people know the better."</p>
<p>"Did Yoemon-sensei tell you?" the doctor asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Kitano said. "His widow sent me the data from his computer before she had it formatted. I don't even think she knew what she had." He put his arms behind his head.</p>
<p>"Two people knew the location and now it is just one again," the therapist said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Makoto-</p>
<p>Why can't they just leave me alone? She happened to find me again and everything became derailed for me. I stood alone in the street. I thought that I had lost her forever. But ever since that day that girl came talking to me about whether have I eaten yet or not. It sounded like my wife. But that can't be. She's been dead for years.</p>
<p>Hasn't she?</p>
<p>I don't even know why I am out here. Evie's probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me. I don't think I can give her an answer. If that girl is who I think it is, I am in worse trouble than I thought. Right then, I knew that I had to track her down. But I don't know anything about that girl. I don't know where she lives. I don't even know her name or what she looks like. And it's not like Evie is going to look anything up about her either.</p>
<p>Looks like I'm going to have to turn to the last person that I wanted to talk to.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hey. Michiko-san. Are you there? Hello? Hello?</em>
</p>
<p>"I'm right here," I heard beside me. I reached out my hand felt around. My fingertips touched the top of someone's head. My heart jumped in my chest.</p>
<p>"How the hell do you keep finding me like this?" I asked. Michiko pushed my hand off of her head.</p>
<p>"We're connected through this game, remember?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah…" I mumbled. How could I forget? They won't like me go. They won't like Michiko go either. Nor my wife if she's still alive.</p>
<p>"She's still alive," Michiko said, interrupting my thoughts. Instead of being annoyed by her hearing my thoughts again, my mind went to what I wanted to ask.</p>
<p>"She found me," I said.</p>
<p>"When?" Michiko asked.</p>
<p>"I think it was last month," I said.</p>
<p>"What all did she say?"</p>
<p>"She asked if I was eating and said that I looked so pale. She also mentioned our baby."</p>
<p>"Oh." Her tone made my stomach drop. I grabbed her by the shoulders.</p>
<p>"How much does she remember?" I asked. "You have to tell me." Michiko sighed and shrugged off my hands.</p>
<p>"I don't really know," she said.</p>
<p>"But you should at least know where she is," I pleaded. "If you can track me down, surely you can find my wife too. Please tell me that." I hadn't realized that I had grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. I let go of Michiko and backed up.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said.</p>
<p>"What?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I can help you find her," Michiko said.</p>
<p>"So, you know where she is?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Michiko said. I quickly bowed to her.</p>
<p>"Please! Take me to her! I have to know everything that she remembers! I have to go there now!" I begged. I heard her sighing. She's probably shaking her head at me.</p>
<p>"I will take you there," she said. I sighed and dropped my shoulders.</p>
<p>"Thank you," I said in a low voice. Michiko grabbed onto my hand and pulled me down the street.</p>
<p>"Whoa!" I shouted as I tried to keep up. Michiko paid no attention as she kept her pace.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Happy Family-</p>
<p>
  <em>Spring 1985.</em>
</p>
<p>He sat in their room, painting the walls. Ever since he learned that she was pregnant, he started working hard at many odd jobs and looking for better paying work. The house needed to be more child friendly as well. He managed to pick up baby furniture from thrift shops, along the curb to be thrown out, and in the landfill. He took his time fixing and painting each piece. His wife found them so cute. Anything to make her happy.</p>
<p>He paused when he heard footsteps approach the doorway. He turned to see his wife standing, watching him. She looked to be about two or three months along. No baby bump yet.</p>
<p>"Don't come in here," he said. "I'm still painting." She took a step back.</p>
<p>"Sorry," she said. He smiled and lowered his paintbrush.</p>
<p>"You're going to love this room when I'm finished," he said. His wife looked over at the light green paint drying on the walls.</p>
<p>"You didn't have to do all of this," she said.</p>
<p>"I wanted to," he said. He sat back for a look. Half of the room was already painted light green. The man held out his hands as if the frame the room.</p>
<p>"What do you think?" he asked. "I want to paint animals around our room. Maybe some little sailboats."</p>
<p>"Are you sure it will be a boy?" she asked. He shrugged.</p>
<p>"Call it a hunch," he said.</p>
<p>"What if it's a girl?" his wife asked. He sat back and took a moment to think.</p>
<p>"Maybe we can do animals and flowers," he said. "What do you think?" His wife broke into a little smile.</p>
<p>"Yes, I would love that," she said. She put her hands to her stomach. He picked up his brush and started painting again.</p>
<p>"I have your lunch on the table," she said before walking back down the hall.</p>
<p>"Okay," he said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Makoto-</p>
<p>Michiko knocked on a door. My heart started pounding against my chest. I shouldn't be doing this. I don't even know what to say if it is her.</p>
<p>"Will you stop doing that?" Michiko asked. "It's too late to turn back. We're already here." I frowned.</p>
<p>"Do you always have to hear my thoughts?" I asked. I heard the door open.</p>
<p>"Uh… who are you?" I heard a boy's voice ask. He sounds so familiar.</p>
<p>"Is Noriko-chan here?" Michiko asked. There was a slight pause.</p>
<p>"Why?" this boy asked.</p>
<p>"This is really important that he sees her," she said. "He has to know what she remembers."</p>
<p>"I don't think that's a good idea," the boy said. Something seemed odd about him. I heard the door starting to close. I already I knew that Michiko had grabbed the door, keeping it from shutting.</p>
<p>"Hey!" I heard the boy shout.</p>
<p>"Ryugamine-kun!" Michiko shouted. Ryugamine? I know that I have heard that name before. But why can't I place it?</p>
<p>"Excuse me," I said. The struggling stopped. I could feel their eyes staring at me. My mouth and my mind seemed to move on their own.</p>
<p>"Have we met before?" I asked. That pause told me all that I needed to know.</p>
<p>"Mikado-kun?" I heard from inside the apartment. "Who is at the door?" Footsteps slowly got closer. Then came another pause. I heard a small gasp.</p>
<p>"It's you!" I heard her say. "How did you find me?" Hearing her voice was all it took to send me back to that place. I could barely hear if anyone were calling me.</p>
<p>"Makoto-san? Makoto-san?"</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Mikado-</p>
<p>Hours later, Mikado finally returned home. The tadpole boy didn't understand what happened in Noriko's apartment. So much information made his head overload with more of his own memories. Mikado rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"I can't really believe any of this, can I?" he asked. However, those thoughts were brushed away when he saw cop cars surrounding his apartment. Mikado ran towards the building when he saw two cops carrying out a person dressed up like a plague doctor from the Middle Ages. A third cop tried to stop the boy when he made it to the police tape.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry so sir, but you can't go in there," he said.</p>
<p>"But I live here," Mikado said as he still struggled to get past the cop. "What is going on here?" The cop stopped pushing him back.</p>
<p>"Your landlord called us when he heard someone trying to break into your apartment," he said. "By the time we got here, the intruder was already inside." The figure was dragged down to a cop car. They seemed to be shouting something under the mask. One of the officers shoved them into the car. The third cop shook his head as he rubbed his forehead.</p>
<p>"Oh, that's another thing," he said. "They claimed that they would know who they were. Is that true, sir?" Mikado shook his head.</p>
<p>"No," he said.</p>
<p>"Didn't think you did," the cop said. "We're going to need you to file a report with us. That is if you want to." The tadpole boy still tried to grasp the whole situation he found himself pushed into.</p>
<p>"Okay, I guess…" he said. The cop pulled out his notepad and started writing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Michiko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Four: Michiko:</p>
<p>-Michiko-</p>
<p>I never wanted to get too many people involved. But now it is too late. I don't have time to ponder what went wrong. I have to end this game before it gets worse.</p>
<p>Unlike Makoto-san and his wife, I still have my memories. I remember every round, every death, and even the first time Tandeki reached their goals. I still have my magic too. Though it's not as strong as it was when I was dragged into this game. I can't worry about that now.</p>
<p>I looked at the small crowd of people in Noriko-chan's apartment. I hadn't expected Mikado to be here but given what happened last night, it can't be helped. I have to end this game before the city is swallowed in ruin. Fuck.</p>
<p>"You aren't going to leave, are you?" I asked Mikado.</p>
<p>"No," he said, shaking his head.</p>
<p>"Figures," I said under my breath. Well, fuck. I rubbed my forehead and sighed. Right.</p>
<p>"How much do any of you remember?" I asked. Makoto, Noriko, and Mikado were quiet for a moment. I frowned.</p>
<p>"I remember the time I was at Chou Mori," Mikado spoke. I raised an eyebrow at him.</p>
<p>"Anything else?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know where to begin," he said.</p>
<p>"That's good enough for now," I said. I turned my attention back to Makoto and Noriko. I needed to stop screwing around here.</p>
<p>"Have any of you noticed something off lately?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Off? Off like how?" Makoto asked. Mikado lowered his eyes.</p>
<p>"I kept seeing fog around last night," he said. We all turned to him.</p>
<p>"Does that count?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"What kind of fog?" Michiko asked. He tried to think about his answer.</p>
<p>"Really low?" Mikado asked. "There was no reason for it." I thought about what he said.</p>
<p>"That could be something," I said. It was a pain to get everyone calmed down to speak at this point.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?" Noriko asked. Mikado turned his head.</p>
<p>"Do you know these people?" he asked.</p>
<p>"No…" she said, shaking her head. Makoto looked hurt hearing that. I grabbed his hand.</p>
<p>"It'll come back to her," I whispered.</p>
<p>"Can you tell me what's going on?" Mikado asked. So here we are. I didn't think I was getting anywhere with this. I needed to change tactics since time wasn't on my side.</p>
<p>"I probably should start from the beginning with this," I finally said. I hated this part. I've lost count of how many times that I had to tell this story. But I didn't have any choice.</p>
<p>"What is going on?" Mikado asked. I took a deep breath. I rubbed my forehead and started again with the basics of the story.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Past-</p>
<p>I awoke to someone kicking me in the back. I winced as I tried to pull myself into a tighter ball. Another kick came to my back.</p>
<p>"Get up!" he barked. "We have work to do!" He never saw me as his daughter. I was just a tool to make money. My powers were natural even at a young age. I think it came from my mother. I never met her. He told me that my powers came from her.</p>
<p>That's the only truth that he's told me.</p>
<p>I learned not to ask questions. I just had to be his little puppet for the gathering crowds in every city we went to. We did make a good amount of money. But most of it went to food and his drinking. Never did we try to pay for whatever room we stayed in. We would leave in the middle of the night before the staff could be any wiser.</p>
<p>I hated him for that. I hated him for many things. He ruined my life. I never had a minute of normalcy. Even at a young age, I knew something wasn't right.</p>
<p>"Get moving!" he yelled. "It's time to go!" I had no choice but to follow. I'm just his little show dog after all. I wished for a way out.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Present-</p>
<p>"Does the name Kitano Katsuhiro ring any bells?" I asked. The color drained from Mikado's face.</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked. "What did he do now?"</p>
<p>"Not do now," I said. "What he's planning to do." Makoto kept his blind eyes out and away from me. I looked at my audience. But Mikado and Noriko had nervous looks on their faces. He's already began his work on them.</p>
<p>"Listen, he may speak the truth but don't let him fuck with your head," I said. It didn't sound like much to comfort to them, but I needed to get it out there.</p>
<p>"I am a player in the apocalypse game," I said.</p>
<p>"Apocalypse game?" Mikado asked. His tone revealed that he wasn't that surprised to hear me say that.</p>
<p>"Yes," I said.</p>
<p>"So why are you playing this game?" he asked. I looked down at my hands.</p>
<p>"I don't really know," I admitted. "It just happened that way." I tried to push down the memory of when I first met her. She started my troubles. Now she wouldn't let me go.</p>
<p>"What does Kitano-sensei have to do with this game?" Mikado asked. I lifted my chin.</p>
<p>"Game master," Makoto spoke up. We all turned and looked at him.</p>
<p>"And we are the pawns," he said.</p>
<p>"Yeah," I said.</p>
<p>"How am I part of the game?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"He wants you to be a witness," I said.</p>
<p>"What does that mean?" he asked. I shook my head.</p>
<p>"How can we stop it?" Mikado asked. I sighed and dropped my shoulders.</p>
<p>"I have been trying to fight to find the answer," I said. "But can't do it alone." Makoto winced when I said that. He has no choice in the matter. And if things are as bad as I think they are, Noriko doesn't have a choice in the matter either.</p>
<p>"What can I do to help?" Mikado asked. Noriko and I turned to him. Oh, he's serious. I looked down at my hands.</p>
<p>"Oh…" I said. This happened before too, didn't it?</p>
<p>"Are you sure you can handle this?" I asked. Mikado nodded at me. The look in his eyes told me everything that I needed to know. I shifted my eyes away from him.</p>
<p>"Okay," I said.</p>
<p>"Tell me what to do," Mikado said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Past-</p>
<p>He and I ended up in Ikebukuro. We were chased out of Osaka. (Three guests as to why.) Once again, we were running out of money. Time to get to work again.</p>
<p>I was thirteen at the time.</p>
<p>I didn't want to do this anymore.</p>
<p>"Are you ready to go?" he asked. I sat in the corner, shaking my head. He frowned.</p>
<p>"What's the matter with you?" he asked. I didn't answer. He clicked his tongue and growled.</p>
<p>"Quit playing around!" he snapped. He grabbed me by the wrist. I tried to pull back.</p>
<p>"You!" he snapped. I already knew what was coming next. He continued to try and pull me up. I shut my eyes tightly as I waited for the blows to come.</p>
<p>"I said quit playing around!" he shouted.</p>
<p>Whack!</p>
<p>His hand connected with my head. I still wouldn't move. I didn't want to do this anymore. I had seen too much. I wanted to live in a house and go to school. I wanted normal friends. I was tired of worrying if he was going to be arrested or not. I just wanted it all to stop.</p>
<p>"Get up now!" he shouted. He jerked me to my feet. I yelped when his nails dug into my arms.</p>
<p>"We have to get going now!" he yelled. He then dragged me out of the room against my will.</p>
<p>What he didn't know was that my powers had been getting stronger. I fought to keep this to myself. I feared what he could make me do if he could get out. Sure, we were surviving on petty fraud. I didn't want to think about how this could escalate.</p>
<p>Those same powers would be my savior and my downfall within a few days later.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Present-</p>
<p>I made it back to the hotel room I was staying in. No sooner had I shut the door, my phone rang. My stomach dropped. Already, I knew who it was. Might as well get this over with.</p>
<p>"Hello?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Konbawa, player number two," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"What the hell do you want now?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Nice play in recruiting Chirin-kun into your little crusade," he said. I narrowed my eyes.</p>
<p>"Mikado," I corrected him. "His name is Mikado."</p>
<p>"How are you on those Gates of Light?"</p>
<p>I rose but fought to keep myself together. "I don't know what you are talking about."</p>
<p>"Come on, Hiroi-san. I know what you are capable of. You don't think I haven't been keeping tabs on all of you? I have to say, I am impressed that you've managed to keep up your resistance up for so long. Though, I am curious about something."</p>
<p>"What?" I pressed my back against the door.</p>
<p>"Why?" Kitano asked.</p>
<p>"Why what?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Why do you keep fighting? You and I know how this is going to end."</p>
<p>"I won't give up."</p>
<p>"You think you can change the outcome?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" I paused when I realized how loud I was getting. I took in a deep breath to calm down.</p>
<p>"Amazes me the will of instinct," he said. "That's what I like about you. Your determination is the highlight of my day sometimes."</p>
<p>"Don't make him into a player like us!" I pleaded. "Don't do this to him!"</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but it's not my call," Kitano said.</p>
<p>"Please!" I pleaded.</p>
<p>"Sorry, that's just how it is," he said. I gritted my teeth.</p>
<p>"You bastard!" I screamed.</p>
<p>"I would love to talk with you more, but I have to go," he said. "We'll talk later."</p>
<p>"Wait!" I shouted. He already hung up. The rage started to build up in my chest. I screamed as I threw my phone across the room. If they go after him, so help me…</p>
<p>My phone rang again. I dropped my shoulders and sighed. I started to understand why Makoto was fatigued with all of this. But I still couldn't give up. Time is now the enemy.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next morning, Mikado's phone rang. He reached over on his desk and picked it up. A confused look came over his face.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Masaomi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Five: Masaomi:</p><p>Kitano looked at the figures on his many desk. He ran his finger over the tops.</p><p>"Makoto-san, Hiroi Michiko-chan, Ishikawa Noriko-chan," the therapist said to himself. He stopped on the top of the third piece, pressing his finger into the top.</p><p>"We still need one more player," Kitano said to himself. His eyes trailed over to pictures of Masaomi and Anri on his desk.</p><p>"Now which one of you is going to render your services to us?" he asked. Kitano ran his fingers along the two pictures.</p><hr/><p>-Masaomi-</p><p>"What would you do if I were to die tomorrow?" Saki asked.</p><p>"No more!" I shouted. I turned to see Saki looking at me worried. I took a breath.</p><p>"Just please, stop," I said. "I can't take it anymore. No more talking about death. Just stop it!" Saki stared at him. I sighed.</p><p>"I'm sorry," I said. Saki crawled over and pulled me into her arms.</p><p>"No, I'm sorry," she said. Has this what it has come down to? I'm being worn thin. I am staying by Mikado's side. I have been by Saki's side. But I feel that it wasn't enough. I don't know what to do.</p><p>"Alright," Saki said. "I won't talk about death anymore." I breathed out.</p><p>"Thank you," I said. I put my arm around her. I vowed to myself that I would never let her go.</p><p>"Masaomi?" Saki asked.</p><p>"Hm?" I asked. She looked me deep into the eyes.</p><p>"Are you feeling okay?" Saki asked.</p><p>"Of course," I lied. "Why wouldn't I be?" She frowned at me.</p><p>"What?" I asked.</p><p>"You have to take better care of yourself," she told me. "Sleep if you need to. Get yourself something to eat. Just don't wear yourself down. I can't have you too weak if you are going to keep me from dying." I nodded after some thought.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, yeah," I said. "Of course." Saki rested her head against my chest.</p><p>"I love you, Masaomi-kun," she said. I held her tightly to my body.</p><p>"I love you too," I said. Why did I sound so sad saying that? I feared that was going to be the last time I would ever say that to her.</p><hr/><p>-Taishi and Honoka-</p><p>
  <em>October 29th, 1989.</em>
</p><p>"There's the ghost of a child that haunts this place. They say that this kid was murdered in the Candyland section. The staff hid the body in the furnace. Now she haunts Candyland looking for her killer."</p><p>Taishi didn't know how he ended up in Candyland. His mind was in and out of haze during his days at Chou Mori. The staff involved in the Tadpole Project weren't too observant at times. They might not even give a shit.</p><p>The boy wandered through the empty halls at night. There were no lights on either. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face. His ears were ringing from the electric shock therapy hours earlier. But something inside of him compelled him to keep walking. Not like anyone was going to notice if he was gone or not. Taishi closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. He couldn't remember why he was doing this. Was it to see the ghost? That didn't seem right though. So why was here?</p><p>Still, he didn't turn around.</p><p>Taishi reached out his hand. There was a door there. He could feel paper and wood at his fingertips. He started to push on it. Was this it? He didn't have much strength in his arms but was able to get the door open. The smell of bleach hit his nose. Taishi straggled backwards as his head started to spin. But he still couldn't turn and leave. He took one step inside.</p><p>Candyland looked much creepier in the dark. He could barely make out the paintings on the walls. Toys were scattered all over the floor. Taishi had to try and step over all them in the dark. Some of them were so small. He was here in Candyland. Now what?</p><p>It was then he noticed that he wasn't alone.</p><p>"Hello?" Taishi whispered. He turned his head when heard small footsteps walking around in the dark. His heart started pounding against his chest. The footsteps were getting closer.</p><p>"Who's there?" he whispered. "Hello? Hello?" Small hands grabbed onto his shirt. Taishi turned around, screaming. He went quiet when he saw a little girl staring up at him. At first, the teenaged boy looked so confused.</p><p>"Huh?" he asked. The little girl stared up at him with big eyes. She didn't say anything as she blinked. Taishi didn't think before he spoke up.</p><p>"Are you a ghost?" he asked. The girl didn't speak. Taishi became even more confused. He reached down and poked the little girl in the cheek. She didn't respond but he became shocked.</p><p>"Wait… you're real," he said. The little girl tilted her head. Taishi blinked. What was wrong with this little girl? Did she understand what he was saying? Could she speak? Taishi waved his hand in front of her face.</p><p>"Are you lost?" he asked. Taishi managed to get a better look at through the thin lines of light from the high windows. Her long dark hair came down to her lower back. She only had on the same type of clothes that he had on. No slippers on her feet. This little girl looked so skinny.</p><p>"You can't sleep either?" Taishi asked. The girl didn't answer. The older boy gave her a strange look.</p><p>"Can you… understand what I am saying?" he asked. The little girl stared up at him with big eyes.</p><p>He doesn't remember what happened after that.</p><p>
  <em>August 25th, 2015.</em>
</p><p>Taishi was flying around in the sky. That old chill raced down his spine. The tadpole looked down. A woman sat in a swing near an old apartment complex. Something inside of him lured him down towards to the ground. Inch by inch, he came towards the ground.</p><p>The salaryman found himself landed in front of a woman on a swing set. She was staring at him. Her eyes lit up.</p><p>"Nii-san!" she said. At first, Taishi had a confused look on his face.</p><p>"Do I know you?" he asked. The older tadpole narrowed his eyes. When he got a better look at her face, memories started to pop up in his head. A little girl staring up at him in the dark. Her eyes were big and blank. She had no emotion on her face. Taishi gasped as his eyes grew big.</p><p>"Honoka-chan?" he asked.</p><p>"You remember me!" she said.</p><p>"Uh… I found you, I guess," Taishi said. He couldn't figure out what to say next, but he felt that he couldn't leave yet. Honoka stared at him with a doe-eyed look on her face. Then an idea came into his head.</p><p>"Hey, do you like music?" he asked.</p><p>"Music?" Honoka asked.</p><p>"Uh-huh," Taishi said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a CD player. He put the headphones on Honoka's ears. She looked at him on the swing, watching him. Taishi looked in her eyes before he pressed play. He could hear the first notes of "Sore dewa, Mata Ashita" from Asian Kung-Fu Generation from the headphones. At first, Honoka winced.</p><p>"Too loud?" Taishi asked. "Here." He turned down the music on the CD player. Honoka stopped wincing.</p><p>"Pretty good, huh?" he asked. She looked up with bright eyes.</p><p>"Yes!" she said aloud. Taishi sat back, smiling. Maybe something could come of this little encounter.</p><p>From inside one of the old apartments, Haru looked down at Taishi and Honoka sneering from the kitchen window.</p><hr/><p>-Masaomi-</p><p>I keep trying to push it out of my head. I can't let Saki die and I can't let Mikado go mad. I don't know what to do. But Saki was right. I do need to take care of myself. I probably need to get some sleep. Mikado was getting more tests done at Shinra's place. A nap should be fine. He'll let me know if he was done. I lay down on the bed and went to sleep.</p><p>[Sometime in the late afternoon, someone breaks into the apartment.</p><p>They used long fingernails to pick the lock. The door quietly opens. The intruder walked into the small apartment. They made their way to the bedroom. They stopped and stared down at Masaomi as he lay asleep on the bed. The intruder stood over him, breathing heavily. They kept their hands in their pockets. The blonde shogun turned over as he slept. A long fingernail traced over his left cheek. The intruder closed their eyes and nodded. Then they turned and walked out the apartment. They closed and locked the door.]</p><p>When I woke up, the sun was going down. What time was is? I looked at my phone. 18:45, already? Have I really been asleep all this time? Was I really that tired? Wow, I must be really losing it. I shook my head. Saki wasn't back yet either. Maybe I should call her. But would that make me look needy? My finger hoovered over the keys.</p><p>"I'm home," I heard from the doorway. I looked up to see Saki watching me.</p><p>"You're alive," I said.</p><p>"Of course I am," she said. "Why would I be?" Saki walked over to me and sat down. I put my arm around her. Once again, I feel much better. But how long will that last?</p><hr/><p>-Mikado-</p><p>Mikado stared at his phone. Who would be calling him from jail? Walker? Mikado shook his head. Nah, that didn't make sense. So who was it? The tadpole pressed the call button.</p><p>"Hello?" he asked. At first, there came a soft whispering voice through the other line. But Mikado could still make out what they were saying.</p><p>"I don't know who you are," he said. "Why did you even call me?"</p><p>"You do know me!" the person pleaded. "You told me to come and find you if my needle turned black."</p><p>"What are you talking about?" Mikado asked.</p><p>"How much do you remember?" the person asked.</p><p>"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"</p><p>"You told me to come here," they went on. "I left you something in your apartment." Mikado sat up in his futon.</p><p>"What do you mean?" he asked. "Where is it?"</p><p>"I left it in your closet," they said. Mikado got up and hurried over to his closet. He drew open his door.</p><p>"What am I looking for?" Mikado asked.</p><p>"Look for a box on the ground," the person said on the phone. "Oh. My time is about up. Just look for marwolaeth."</p><p>"Wait! What are-?" the tadpole asked. The prisoner had already hung up. Mikado stared at his phone. Okay, not the weirdest thing he had encountered. But why did this sound so urgent? Mikado looked down at the floor of the closet. He spotted a small white box near the back corner. The tadpole reached forward and picked it up. Mikado noticed all of the cravings on the surface. He ran his fingers across the top. He caught some writing on the upper corner. Mikado narrowed his eyes to read it.</p><p>"For back-up," he read. Huh? Mikado tried to open the lid. At first, it wouldn't open. He still tried to pry it open. The tadpole heard a small click. The lid flipped open. Mikado looked inside. Black felt covered inside. Scraps of paper, a small bag, and a little key sat at the bottom. The tadpole had the feeling that he had seen all of this before. His fingertips went for the first piece of paper in the pile. It looked like it would fall to pieces in his hand. The paper sat folded in half in his hand. Mikado picked it up and opened up the little note. Only one word was written on the top.</p><p>Marwolaeth.</p><p>The tadpole had a confused look on his face. What was this? His phone pinged again. This time, it was a text. Ah, it was from Anri. Mikado relaxed as he opened the message. He shoved the paper into his box and shoved the box away from the closet. Mikado would have to look at everything later.</p><hr/><p>-Masaomi-</p><p>Saki was sound asleep beside me. I should be relieved. But that sinking feeling won't leave. I keep fearing that I will wake and find her dead beside me.</p><p>I touched on the cheek. Saki settled back into place in her sleep. She looked so peaceful. I envied her. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen. It was from Michiko. I sat up in bed. As if on instinct, I opened the text.</p><p>"Meet me on the roof."</p><p>I stared at the screen. I remembered the conversation I had with Izaya about Michiko a couple of weeks ago.</p><p>"She is not what she seems," he told me. I really should just ignore him. But it also fueled my curiosity about her. Izaya said that he would send me more information. I tried to turn him down but insisted. He doesn't want to let me go, does he?</p><p>"Right now?" I wrote. It didn't take long for her to reply.</p><p>"Yes!" she wrote back. I swung my legs out of bed and stood up. I took one more look at Saki. She was still sound asleep. My girlfriend turned her back to me in her sleep. I was going to have to make this quick. Not like anything was going to happen in the short time I was away from Saki. But I still couldn't be too careful.</p><p>I told a breath and walked out the door.</p><hr/><p>-Masaomi and Michiko-</p><p>I found Michiko on the roof, waiting for me.</p><p>"Good, you're here," she said. I held up my phone.</p><p>"What did you want to talk about?" he asked. Michi-chan lifted her chin.</p><p>"I don't want you to get dragged into this game," she said. "You can't handle being in our world" I gave her a confused look.</p><p>"What do you mean?" I asked. A look of worry covered her face.</p><p>"You've already been forced into the game before," Michi said. "It didn't end well."</p><p>"What are you talking about? Tell me what is going on," I said. She still had a serious look on her face.</p><p>"Promise me that you will not enter this game," Michi-chan pleaded. "No matter what you will not play along. Even if I am killed in front me, don't do it. Promise me that!" She sounded so desperate. Her eyes were filled with tears. I bowed my head.</p><p>"Okay," I said. "I won't do it." Michi-chan dropped her shoulders and threw back her head as she sighed.</p><p>"Thank goodness!" she said. Michi-chan looked me in the eye.</p><p>"Okay. I will tell you everything that you need to know," she said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Anri</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Six: Anri:</p>
<p>-Anri-</p>
<p>He looks conflicted in bed. Mikado doesn't look he wants to do this. But he still calls me up almost every night. I keep suggesting that we don't have to have sex when I come over. I see a little flash of relief before it fades away. I caressed his cheek.</p>
<p>"You are going to be okay," I whispered. "I won't let them hurt you." Mikado always looks at me in desperation. Almost like he wants to believe me.</p>
<p>This isn't the only thing weighting on my mind lately.</p>
<p>Mikado has several women around him. He never wants to talk about them with me. They still show up without warning. I've already met three of them.</p>
<p>I woke up to my phone buzz next to me. I felt around for it as I mumbled to myself. A new text on my screen. It wasn't from Mikado. I sat up as I stared at the screen. I think I recognize this number.</p>
<p>"Are you free today?" the text read. I had a feeling who was this.</p>
<p>"Who is this again?" I wrote back. A text bubble with three dots popped up.</p>
<p>"It's me, silly!" the reply read.</p>
<p>"I still don't know who this is," I wrote back. Another text bubble popped up.</p>
<p>"Look out your window," the next reply said. I hurried out of my bed and looked out the window. Fuyuko outside waving up at me. My phone rang. I about jumped at the sound.</p>
<p>"H-Hello?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Good morning!" Fuyuko shouted over the phone. I had to hold it away from my ear.</p>
<p>"How did you find where I lived?" I asked.</p>
<p>"One of my little dragonflies followed you home," she said. "Are you coming out with me today or not?" I stared at her out the window with the phone slipping from my hand. I could tell from her tone that she was grinning up at me. Somehow, I couldn't say no.</p>
<p>"Sure, I will be down in a minute," I said.</p>
<p>"Great, I'll be waiting," Fuyuko-san said before hanging up. I stared at my phone. This was starting to get awkward.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Fuyuko and Anri-</p>
<p>I met her outside of the apartment. She smiled and clapped her hands.</p>
<p>"So good to see you!" she said. I struggled to say something. Fuyuko-san put her arms around my shoulders.</p>
<p>"Let's get going, shall we?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Um…" I said.</p>
<p>"Great! Let's go!" she said. Fuyuko pulled me along. I didn't get a chance to argue.</p>
<p>Fuyuko-san is a bit handsy at times. She's always trying to be friends with me. I don't know how to handle it. In a way, she reminds me of Erika-san. I can almost see the two of them getting along so well. It almost freaks me out.</p>
<p>"So how are you doing today?" Fuyuko-san asked. She leaned over me as she asked.</p>
<p>"Fine…" I said. Her cheek rubbed against mine.</p>
<p>"Could you… get off me?" I asked. "You're squishing me."</p>
<p>"Oh, sorry about that," Fuyuko-san said. She loosened her grip. I gave her an odd look.</p>
<p>"Where are we going today?" I asked. She shrugged and smiled at me.</p>
<p>"Just around," she said.</p>
<p>I don't know what she wants with me. Ever since I met her on the streets with Mikado, Fuyuko-san had latched onto me. She's been trying to cling to me ever since. I have no idea why she does this. We come from different worlds. She's a glamourous sex worker and I am just… me. I don't know why she would want to hang around me. Oh and there's another thing you have to know about Fuyuko-san said.</p>
<p>"Hey Anri!" I heard someone say. I turned to see Seiji and Mika walking towards me. So they've gotten back together? Mika did tell me that Seiji wasn't talking to her he got possessed by a demon. I heard that he was mad at her for lying about his sister.</p>
<p>"Hello," I said. Mika and Seiji walked up to me.</p>
<p>"You out for the day?" Mika asked.</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah, yeah, yeah," I said. "Just felt like it." When I glanced beside me, Fuyuko-san was gone. Where did she go that fast? I turned my glance by Mika. She didn't look so convinced. Yet, Mika didn't say anything.</p>
<p>"How are you guys?" I asked. Mika cuddled up close to Seiji.</p>
<p>"Great!" she said. "Seiji and I are so in love. Even more after his possession." He didn't say a word. He didn't have any emotion on his face. Something wasn't right but I couldn't put my finger on it.</p>
<p>I could feel someone nudging in the ribcage. I quickly turned my head to see air.</p>
<p>"Something wrong?" Seiji asked. I quickly shook my head.</p>
<p>"Well, we won't hold you up anymore," Mika said. "We better get going."</p>
<p>"Right," I said.</p>
<p>"Bye-bye," she said.</p>
<p>"Bye," I said. We all parted ways.</p>
<p>"She's in such denial," Fuyuko-san in my ear. I whipped my head around. She started to lean on me again. I tried to push her back.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" I asked.</p>
<p>"She's so desperate to keep him," she said. "He doesn't trust her after the whole possession debacle." I didn't think that debacle would be the right word.</p>
<p>"Where did you go?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Nowhere," she said. "I was standing right next to you." I had a confused look on my face. I was about to ask when she held up two fingers. She started to shush me. I stood wide-eyed. Fuyuko-san lowered her fingers.</p>
<p>"I can make myself be seen when I want to," she said. I tilted my head.</p>
<p>"Why did you hide yourself from Mika?" I asked.</p>
<p>"She's not ready to see me yet," Fuyuko-san said.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" I asked. Her grip loosened around me.</p>
<p>"Things haven't gotten bad yet," was all that she would say. Something told me not to press the issue. Then she asked me a question that caught me off-guard.</p>
<p>"How much do you love Mikado-kun?" Fuyuko-san asked. I stopped in my tracks.</p>
<p>"What?" I asked.</p>
<p>"How much do you love Mikado-kun?" she asked again. "Your answer matters in this situation." I stood straighter.</p>
<p>"Very much," I said with my fist to my chest. "I don't want to see him in pain like this. I want to help him, but I don't know what to do." Fuyuko-san took me by the hands. She stared deep into my eyes.</p>
<p>"Then let us help you," she said in a low voice. Her tone sent chills up my spine. Then she added something else that held my attention.</p>
<p>"If you are going to stay by his side, you have to take all of nightmares coming to swallow him. Are you strong enough to do that?" Fuyuko-san told me. I nodded once with a serious look on my face.</p>
<p>"Yes," I said.</p>
<p>"Very good," Fuyuko-san said. She let go of my hands. Suddenly, she perked up.</p>
<p>"Let's keep going!" she said. Fuyuko-san pulled me along before I could say another word. Now where were we going?</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Cheri and Anri-</p>
<p>Around noon, Fuyuko-san and I ended up at a maid café. I turned to look at her.</p>
<p>"Why are we here?" I asked. Fuyuko-san looked at me with a small smile on her face.</p>
<p>"I'm taking you to meet up with Mama," she said.</p>
<p>"Mama?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh," she said. Fuyuko-san took me by the hand and led me inside. There was only one woman sitting towards the back. She took a sip of her tea. She looks familiar. Fuyuko-san and I got closer to her table. The woman with long light purple hair looked up and noticed us. I narrowed my eyes at her.</p>
<p>"Cheri… -san?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Hello dear," she said. Fuyuko-san backed away from me.</p>
<p>"I will leave you to it, Mama," she said.</p>
<p>"Thank you, dear," Cheri-san said. Fuyuko-san bowed and disappeared. When I turned around, she was gone.</p>
<p>"Come on, sit," Cheri-san said. "Sit." She motioned over to the chair. I dropped my shoulders and sat down. She took a sip of her tea.</p>
<p>"So nice to meet you," she said. I shifted in place.</p>
<p>"You wanted to see me?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Cheri-san said. I had a feeling of what she was going to ask. I noticed her eyes on me as if she could tell what I was thinking.</p>
<p>"I know your resolve," she said. "But you have to know the situation you are in."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" I asked. Cheri-san set down her cup.</p>
<p>"He's desperately trying to cling onto anything normal," she said. "You happen to be one of them."</p>
<p>"I'm not following," I said.</p>
<p>"You see," she added. "He's being forced to change against his will. It's not going to stop until he reaches their idea of perfect."</p>
<p>"Do you mean the Tandeki Group?" I asked. Cheri-san raised her eyebrow at me.</p>
<p>"How much do you know about them?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I don't really know," I said. "They do work in Rampo Biotech."</p>
<p>"Basic Google research, huh?" Cheri-san asked. "That will have to do for now. Anyway, back to Mikado-kun." She looked over at the window.</p>
<p>"He's losing everything around him," Cheri-san added. "The Blue Squares and Aoba are gone. He's already seen three of his tadpole siblings die. Okay, his little friend did kill one of them to save him. But the other two chose to die in front of him."</p>
<p>"Wait! Masaomi killed somebody?!" I asked. I tried not to pay attention to the eyes on us.</p>
<p>"Please keep your voice down," Cheri-san whispered. I closed my mouth. She lowered her hand.</p>
<p>"They didn't tell you?" she asked. I shook my head.</p>
<p>"Wow," she said. She must have noticed the desperate look in my eyes.</p>
<p>"I'm sure they did to keep you safe," Cheri-san said. "Anyway, Mikado is clinging onto what he has left. But sadly, that's going to be stripped away from him too."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" I asked. My hand trembled under my chin. Cheri-san took out a cigarette and lit up. She took a drag before turning her attention back to me.</p>
<p>"Let me ask you something, Anri-chan," Cheri-san said. "Do you think you can keep a stable relationship with Mikado-kun?"</p>
<p>"Huh?" I asked. She flicked out her cigarette.</p>
<p>"By all means, stay with him," she said. "But just know, it won't last. A normal and a tadpole can't stay together. He might stay young forever and not die. You, on the other hand, will get old and eventually die." I didn't know what to say to that.</p>
<p>"Now tell me," Cheri-san said. "Are you still willing to stay with him after knowing all of that?" I lifted my chin and gulped.</p>
<p>"Yes," I said. My voice might have been trembling, but I didn't care. Cheri-san held her cigarette between her fingers as she picked up her cup for a drink.</p>
<p>"Very well then," she said. "I wish you luck." She sat there and finished her tea. Something about her words filled me with uneasiness.</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Lorelei and Anri-</p>
<p>I felt better when I stepped out of the café. But that didn't last long when I noticed a woman standing across from me. Her pale skin glistened in the sun. Her long dark hair made her look even paler. Her dress resembled a peacock with the gold trim. A chill ran down my spine when our eyes met. Her lips curved into a catlike smile.</p>
<p>"Well, hello dear," she said. I slowly put my hand up in a wave.</p>
<p>"Hi…" I said. She turned with her eyes locked on me. I had a feeling of where this conversation could be heading.</p>
<p>"Yes, I know," I said. "Fuyuko-san and Cheri-san told me everything." The woman seemed to dance as she moved closer to me. I could smell her jasmine perfume on her body.</p>
<p>"Is that right?" she asked. Her glaze made me want to shrink into the ground. The woman drew back from me.</p>
<p>"I'm Lorelei," she said. "And you must be Anri-chan. Nice to meet you." She bowed before me.</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah. Nice to meet you," I said. I had a feeling of where this was going. At this point, I didn't try to argue. Lorelei-san held out her hand. Another walk with her to talk. I just took her hand. This time, it didn't take her long to start.</p>
<p>"Don't let them get to you," Lorelei-san said. "They mean well, you know?"</p>
<p>"Yeah…" I muttered.</p>
<p>"Just stay with him," she said. "He really needs you." I slowly nodded. Everyone keeps telling me that.</p>
<p>"Why does he need me?" I asked. "I don't understand what you mean by that." Lorelei-san looked over her shoulder at me.</p>
<p>"He sees you as something normal to hang onto," she said in a serious tone. I've heard this one before. Lorelei-san broke into a little smile.</p>
<p>"But don't worry," she said. "We will be happy to help you." I had a puzzled look on my face.</p>
<p>"We?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Why yes," Lorelei-san said. "We <em>all</em> love Mikado-kun." She took me by the hands and grinned. I tried to think of something to say but nothing came to my mouth. Lorelei-san grinned. Out of all the women in Mikado's circle, she makes me feel uneasy. She laughed in my face.</p>
<p>"Let's go," she said. "I have so much to tell you. We're going to help you please him in bed."</p>
<p>"What?!" I shouted. She dragged me further down the street. Would anyone see her dragging me along? I hated to think of them staring at me like that. Usually, I don't mind. But this was different somehow.</p>
<p>"You okay back there?" Lorelei-san asked. I quickly lifted my head.</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah, yeah!" I was quick to say. "I'm fine. Really." She didn't say anything as we kept walking down to Sunshine City. (I just had a hunch that's where we were going.)</p>
<hr/>
<p>-Charlotte and Anri-</p>
<p>I made it back to Mikado's apartment by sundown. He left me a copy of a key. I just wanted to be alone with him for just a few minutes. When I unlocked the door, I was met with disappointment. A woman with long blonde hair greeted me at the door.</p>
<p>"Anri-chan! So good to see you!" she said. She leaped forward and hugged me. Only one name came to mind.</p>
<p>"Charlotte-san?" I asked. She looked up at me with a catlike smile.</p>
<p>"Welcome back, Anri-chan," Charlotte-san said.</p>
<p>"Where is Mikado-kun?" I asked.</p>
<p>"He's doing testing at Kishitani-sensei's apartment," she said.</p>
<p>"Oh…" I said. "Well then, I guess I would go home." I started to leave but Charlotte-san grabbed onto my wrists.</p>
<p>"No, come in," she insisted. Charlotte-san pulled me into Mikado-kun's apartment before I could say a word. She closed and locked the door behind me.</p>
<p>Charlotte-san and I sat on the floor. Memories about her came back to my mind.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?" I asked. She laid back onto the floor.</p>
<p>"The same as you," Charlotte-san said. "Waiting for Mikado-kun." I couldn't hold back the question anymore.</p>
<p>"How many of you are there?" I asked. "Women, I mean." Charlotte-san shrugged and shook her head.</p>
<p>"Who's to say?" she asked. "He's had both men and women." My mouth slightly hung open. Charlotte-san gave me a look of sympathy.</p>
<p>"Aw, Anri-chan," she said. "Why do you act so surprised? Monogamy is overrated. This is part of Japan's problem. They are too uptight with sex. Loosen it up, baby." She rolled over onto her stomach. I stared at her with big eyes. Charlotte-chan put her hand on mine.</p>
<p>"He's free to have as many lovers as he wants," she said. "That doesn't mean he loves you any less. You are going to always be his number one. He loves you that much." She's said this before. I'm sure why but everything Charlotte-san says seems to make sense. Her lips curve into a catlike smile.</p>
<p>"You are free to take as many lovers as you want too," she said. That sentence sent me back to a strange memory.</p>
<p>I came back to Mikado-kun's apartment one night. When I made it to his room, I find Mikado-kun with Charlotte-san. He had his shirt off while she sat in his lap. They are passionately kissing. Her tongue was shoved into his mouth. I wanted to turn around and leave but I couldn't move. Suddenly, they broke off the kiss and turned to me. Charlotte-san held out her hand to me. As if in a daze, I slowly walked up to them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Hisayo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Seven: Hisayo:</p>
<p>-Hisayo-</p>
<p>
  <em>August 13, 1987.</em>
</p>
<p>I can't stand the yelling. It's gotten worse lately. Papa just works all day. Mama can't stand it anymore. I can't remember the last time I ever saw her happy. Dinners are a nightmare. We either don't talk or mama and papa break down fighting. I usually can never finish eating. Through all of their fights they never once asked about me. Sometimes, she takes her anger out on me. I didn't do anything though. But she still yells at me. I don't understand why.</p>
<p>The only sources of comfort I have are my sister, Toshiko, and Abe-sensei.</p>
<p>I tried to keep my sister safe from them. Even that's becoming harder to do lately. She's starting to ask questions. I don't know how to deal with it.</p>
<p>Last night, she came into my room again. Toshiko stood in the doorway, rubbing her little eyes. I sat up frowning at her.</p>
<p>"What do you want?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Can't sleep," she whimpered. I sighed and shook my head.</p>
<p>"Come in," I said. Toshiko wandered over to my futon. She laid down without a word.</p>
<p>"Bad dreams?" I asked. She nodded once. I pulled her to my chest. I kissed her atop her head. Looks like I'm her only source of comfort. It's quiet tonight. Too quiet. I don't like it. I caught Toshi-chan mumbling at my chest.</p>
<p>"What did you say?" I asked.</p>
<p>"I'm scared," she whispered.</p>
<p>"I'm scared too," I said. I wasn't lying either. I was scared out the calm tonight. I could already predict what was coming next. My stomach turned just thinking about it.</p>
<p>
  <em>August 14, 1987</em>
</p>
<p>I will be going back to school soon. There's not much relief there. The only thing I have to look forward to is my homeroom teacher, Abe-sensei. But lately, he's been ignoring me. I don't know what I did wrong.</p>
<p>Mama doesn't seem to like him. She has the wrong idea about us. There's nothing going on between us. Some of my classmates give us dirty looks at school. I don't want him to get in trouble because of me.</p>
<p>Oh and then there's Kitano-sensei. Something about him gives me the creeps. I saw when I went out to go pick up milk from the 7-11. I went into the store, got my milk, and went up to the counter. I happened to look up and see him looking in at me from the window. He wasn't really doing anything. I tried not to pay any attention to him as I handed the clerk my money. I turned and walked out of the store. I kept my head down as I walked by.</p>
<p>"Hello, Hisayo-chan," Kitano said at my back. I froze in my tracks.</p>
<p>"How are you today?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Good," I said. "And you?"</p>
<p>"Good," Kitano-sensei said. "Good, thank you very much. Have a good day." I hurried back home.</p>
<p>
  <em>August 15, 1987</em>
</p>
<p>I saw Abe-sensei with his wife again today. They were walking down the street together, arm-in-arm. She's not good for him. She will never be good enough for him. I am a better woman than her. I was tempted to go up and push her down out of spite. But I didn't do it. Instead, I turned and went home.</p>
<p>"Where have you been?!" Mama asked when I made it home.</p>
<p>"Just out," I said. I walked down to my room before she could say another word. I closed the door behind me. I couldn't help but to smile to myself. I actually stood up to Mama for once. I only wish that I could see the look on her face as I walked by.</p>
<p>I walked over to my bed and flopped face down. Thoughts of my Abe-sensei filled my head. I almost wished that it didn't have to be summer break. He's the only sense of joy that I have in my life anymore. Okay, there is my little sister. But she's only hanging onto me because I am the one that has to act brave around our parents.</p>
<p>To be honest, I am getting tired of keeping up that act. Something has to break.</p>
<p>
  <em>August 16, 1987</em>
</p>
<p>It's quiet again. That's not good. Another storm's coming. Papa's at work again. Mama has no one to take her anger out on again. When he gets home, she's going to yell at him again. Right now, I am hiding in my room. Toshiko is here with me. She sat on the ground, coloring. I envy her in a way. Toshi-chan has no idea of how bad things are. All she has to do is color her pretty pictures.</p>
<p>I stood over her, watching. Toshi-chan was drawing a picture of a family that didn't exist. We were never happy. Maybe only once. I don't remember it anymore. I kept my ear to the door. I was already counting down to when Papa was coming home. I already knew what was coming next. He'll come home and they will fight.</p>
<p>I walked over to my little sister. She was coloring the grass on the bottom of the paper.</p>
<p>"That looks really good," I said. Toshi-chan just looked up at me and went back to coloring. I knelt down next to her. My little sister picked up another crayon and got to work. Sure enough, the front door opened.</p>
<p>"I'm home," I heard Papa said. I counted down to the fighting coming next.</p>
<p>
  <em>August 17, 1987</em>
</p>
<p>It's always the same thing. More arguing again. I don't know how much longer I can take of this. I wish they would get divorced. Mama refuses to let go. I almost feel sorry for her. Why is she so desperate to keep us all together? I want to ask her, but she would probably yell at me. I think she's starting to realize that reality isn't looking in her favor.</p>
<p>Last night, Mama came into my room, sobbing. She lay down next to me with red eyes. I could barely understand what she was saying. I just let her story roll over on me.</p>
<p>"Why does he make me so miserable?" she asked. "Why did he leave us?" I shrugged and shook my head. I can't bring myself to tell her what we've known all along. How many weeks has it been? I don't know anymore. I can't remind her either. She nearly attacked me the last time I did.</p>
<p>I really Toshi-chan at times like things. Nothing seems to worry her. She acts like everything is normal. I don't know how children do it. I am not so lucky. Mama has it the worse.</p>
<p>To tell the truth, I don't know how long this pretense will last. I almost wish it would it. We can't go back to normal. I just want something to go back to some since of sanity.</p>
<p>Don't even think we can go to that. I almost wish that I hadn't wished for my parents to get divorced.</p>
<p>
  <em>August 18, 1987</em>
</p>
<p>Mama killed me today. She got the wrong idea again. She thought that I was pregnant with Abe-sensei's baby. Mama killed me and stuffed my body in the ceiling. I wasn't the only one in murderous path. She's going to hurt Abe-sensei. He's done nothing wrong. Please leave him alone, Mama. Nothing happened. You're wrong. She can't hear me. She killed me and left me in the ceiling.</p>
<p>I am not alone though.</p>
<p>Toshi-chan? No. Did she…? I understand. Come closer. It will be okay.</p>
<p>Maybe this will finally end.</p>
<p>Back in present day…</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Widow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halo Twenty-Eight: Widow:</p>
<p>The following events are a record of the last day of summer in the Apocalypse Game.</p>
<p>In the early hours of the morning, Suzuki-sensei went out for his morning jog. He was playing 80's rock on his iPod. He had to be in the mood to get his exercise in. The teacher was looking forward to seeing his homeroom again. It didn't take him long to get into his morning routine.</p>
<p>She sat in her white 2006 Toyota. Her hands gripped the steering wheel. Her eyes stayed on the teacher's back. Could she do this? Could she actually commit to this? He was part of the problem. He did nothing to stop his daughter's pain. "They were just kids," he said. "They are just joking around." She gritted her teeth. Her foot pressed down on the gas. Too late to turn back now.</p>
<p>Suzuki-sensei didn't hear what was going on behind him. The music built up to the next track. His fitness tracker counted away with his steps. He was going to beat his record for the summer. The next track started to play. Meanwhile, that white Toyota sped closer.</p>
<p>The teacher turned his head.</p>
<p>Bam!</p>
<p>Suzuki-sensei was sent flying through the air before hitting the asphalt. She turned and looked behind her. The teacher lay crumpled on the ground, twitching. She clicked her tongue and backed up over her victim. She crushed him about two more times before she pulled away.</p>
<p>She was in it now. Too late to turn back.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Around eight in the morning, Tom and Vorona made it down to a run-down apartment complex. Once again, they were going to try and collect a debt from a notorious playboy wannabe. Having Shizuo here would've made things go faster. But he's still trapped in the basement. They still didn't know what to do with him either.</p>
<p>Tom tried to shake that from his mind as he went up the stairs. He came up to apartment 27. Vorona waited at the foot of the steps. At first, Tom knocked on the door.</p>
<p>"Dan-san!" he shouted. "I know you are in there! Come out so that we can talk!" No answer still. Tom shook his head to himself. Really? They were going to do this again? Okay then. Tom took in a deep breath.</p>
<p>Bam!</p>
<p>The debt collector kicked down the door. Right away, a rotten smell greeted him. Tom backed up, covering his nose. Without going inside, he had a guess of what that smell was.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Vorona asked. Tom was about to speak when he heard footsteps and small wheels coming up the stairs. The adults turned to see a little girl about eight years old coming up to the door.</p>
<p>"Good morning," she said. "I'm here to collect scraps of metal for a class project. Do you have some today?" Tom and Vorona looked at each other. The debt collector couldn't let this child be scarred for life just by going inside.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, dear," Tom said, kneeling down to her eye level. "But I can tell you where you can find some." He pointed to the apartment across the way. The little girl looked at him with a confused look on her face.</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he insisted. The debt collector gave the child a nudge forward.</p>
<p>"Go on," he said. "Get going." The little girl looked over at Vorona. The Russian assassin didn't say a word.</p>
<p>"Okay…" the child said at last. Tom watched as the little girl dragged her little red wagon down the stairs. Once she was at the bottom of the stairs and going to the other apartment, he called the police.</p>
<p>Just as Tom predicted, two bodies were taken out of the apartment. Dan-san was found on his bedroom floor lying face down. It looked like he had been beaten and stabbed to death. A woman about twenty-three years old had been shot once in the head in the bed. Aside from Tom kicking down the door, there was no sign of a break-in into the apartment.</p>
<p>"Do you know the victims?" the cop asked Tom.</p>
<p>"Her, no. Him, we've been trying to get him to pay up for months now," the debt collector said. The cop took down the notes.</p>
<p>"And you came here to collect?" he asked.</p>
<p>"That's right," Tom said.</p>
<p>"Any enemies that you can think of?"</p>
<p>"Other than us?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>Tom shrugged. "Ask as of his exes." The cop finished taking notes.</p>
<p>"Okay, thank you for your time," he said.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Tom said. The men bowed and walked away. The bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office.</p>
<hr/>
<p>More shadows have been hovering in the sky. This isn't too much to think about it. Only, more people are starting to notice them.</p>
<p>"There are thirty-six of them now," Nami said. Kohaku shivered.</p>
<p>"They creep me out," she said.</p>
<p>"Not me," Nami said. Her friend gave her a strange look. The water tadpole took her hands.</p>
<p>"They're in pain," she said. Kohaku gave her a puzzled look.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Can't you feel it?" her friend asked. "Close your eyes and take a listen." Kohaku drew her eyes closed. Faint wailing filled her ears. She could feel her heart trembling against her chest. Her knees began to tremble as well.</p>
<p>"Kohaku?" Nami asked. The other tadpole opened her eyes. Her friend had a concerned look on her face. Kohaku lowered her eyes.</p>
<p>"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. Nami narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>"You're shaking," she said.</p>
<p>"Huh?" her friend asked.</p>
<p>"Come here," Nami said. She pulled the other girl into a tight hug before she could say another word. Kohaku turned her head.</p>
<p>"Nami…" she said.</p>
<p>"Shhh," the water tadpole whispered. "Shhh." Kohaku drew her mouth closed. Nami counted down in her head.</p>
<p>"Better?" she whispered. Kohaku's eyes widened as she nodded.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. Nami squeezed her hand.</p>
<p>"Stay by me until we get inside, okay?" she whispered. The other tadpole girl nodded. The girls started walking again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A woman covered in blood paced around, biting on her hands.</p>
<p>"They kept me in a birdcage for years. I am always hungry. They won't let me ear. But I can always smell blood. There is no light in this cage. They can't hear me scream."</p>
<p>Her long black hair floated around her. Her body never touched the ground. She had her blood red eyes opened. Something was different.</p>
<p>"I am not alone."</p>
<p>Tapering fingers reached down towards her. Warmth began to fill her chest.</p>
<p>"You really mean it? I can finally leave again?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>A strange sensation spread across her face. Was she… smiling? She closed her eyes.</p>
<p>"Well, okay," she said. She lifted her hand into the air.</p>
<p>"Take me out of here."</p>
<p>The fingers wrapped around her hand. Her body floated upwards and vanished from her cage. She left behind a single black feather.</p>
<hr/>
<p>[How are you feeling today?] Celty typed on her PDA. Shinra stretched his neck from side to side.</p>
<p>"Good," he said.</p>
<p>[No creepy visions?] she wrote. The doctor gave him a goofy smile.</p>
<p>"Aw, that's so sweet of you to be worried about me," he said. Celty jabbed him in the ribs with one of her shadows.</p>
<p>"Ow!" he shouted.</p>
<p>[I'm serious,] Celty typed. Shinra's mood shifted into a serious mood too.</p>
<p>"I haven't seen any more visions lately," he said. Celty flopped back against the couch.</p>
<p>[That's good,] she wrote. Lately, she hadn't seen any reapers around the apartment. Celty didn't know if this was a good thing or not. They could be waiting to ambush them when they least expected it. The dullahan shook her head in her mind. Shinra put his hands on hers. Celty turned to her boyfriend.</p>
<p>"I'll be fine," he assured her. Celty didn't look convinced but he wasn't really going to listen, was he? She started to type again.</p>
<p>[Good, good,] the dullahan wrote. [Just let me know if you start seeing things again.] Shinra's expression became warm.</p>
<p>"Let's stay in today," he said.</p>
<p>[Heh?] Celty typed. The doctor kind of shrugged.</p>
<p>"I mean, why not?" Shinra asked. "Summer is going to be over tomorrow. Might as well make the most of it, yeah?" Celty took a moment to think about it. She finally dropped her shoulders.</p>
<p>[Fine,] she wrote at last. [We can do that.] The doctor pulled her in for a tight hug.</p>
<p>"Thanks, Celty! You are the best!" he said. The dullahan didn't add anymore with her typing. She figured that it would be wiser to keep him by her side for the time being. The dullahan had to be on her guard with the reapers still on the loose. Suddenly, Shinra let her go.</p>
<p>"That reminds me," he said. The doctor stood up and walked to the front door. Celty looked so confused on her non-existent face.</p>
<p>[Wait! Where are you going?] she typed on her PDA.</p>
<p>"Just out," Shinra said. "I forgot to do something. It won't take too long. I'll be back before you know it. I promise." He bowed and headed out the door.</p>
<p>[Shinra!] Celty yelled with her shadows. The door was already swung closed.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shinra wandered around the streets with his hands in his pockets. He started walking as if in a daze. Something seemed to be calling out to him. It's not clear if he's even aware of it himself or not. He didn't know the shadow floating above the sky. The doctor didn't notice the shadows walking around him either. His eyes looked so empty.</p>
<p>Finally, Shinra managed to snap himself out of it. The doctor turned to find himself standing in front of a crumbling apartment building. A confused look came over his face.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Shinra asked. Something about this run-down apartment complex looked so familiar. The doctor looked up at all of the windows in front of him. This building definitely stood out compared to the other apartment buildings around it. The dead grass and trees didn't make it any better. Despite it being summer, there was some melted snow on the ground. This whole place didn't even feel right. The more Shinra looked, the more uneasy he felt.</p>
<p>That's when he saw it.</p>
<p>Two bodies were hanging in a hole in the apartment. Chills ran down Shinra's spine.</p>
<p>"You can see them too, can't you?" a small voice asked. The doctor whipped around. A little girl stood inches away in a thick red coat. Her brown boots seemed to be sinking into the ground. Her little pink scarf stood out in bleak gray. Her hood about hid her face.</p>
<p>"Who were they?" Shinra asked. The little girl shook her head. She grabbed onto his right hand.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't be here," she said.</p>
<p>"What?" Shinra asked.</p>
<p>"You do not belong here," the little girl said. "Turn back now." Before the doctor could say a word, a fog formed around him. A quick flash of light flared in his eyes.</p>
<p>[Wait! Where are you going?] she typed on her PDA. Shinra turned to see Celty sitting on the couch with her PDA in hand. The doctor lowered his hand as he realized what just happened. He smiled and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Nowhere," Shinra said. "I forgot to do something, but it can wait." Celty had a confused look on her non-existent face.</p>
<p>[Are you sure?] she typed. Shinra gave her a little smile and nodded.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. "We're staying in today after all." The doctor walked over and sat down next to her on the couch. He cuddled up against his dullahan girlfriend with a calm smile on his face. Celty didn't know what was going on with this about-face.</p>
<p>[Okay…] she typed in response.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kitano sat at his desk. He pulled out his tape recorder and hit record.</p>
<p>"The new round for this game is coming," he said. "But yet, I feel that our tadpoles are getting too complacent with their condition. I think it's about time to push them to their limits. Personally, I think raising the stakes will do them some good. Trauma can be healthy in development. Coddling can do damage to a growing child. Asato-sensei agrees with me.</p>
<p>"Chirin is developing rather nicely. He's had some trauma watching his siblings die before his eyes. Satoshi when Kida killed him. Azusa and Emily dying by suicide. Seeing the death of someone you are close to can always spark the right amount of trauma. He's going to need it for the next round. Now, I don't have to go ahead and kill anyone unless I have to."</p>
<p>Kitano leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.</p>
<p>"Still, I have other pets that are developing rather nicely. There is a double edge to this. I do have concerns about Shounen Ya and Adam's tastes for revenge. I heard of the former staff of Chou Mori have been dying. That is not a worry for me, however. We have ways of handling them if needed. Right now, we need to work the next phase of the experiment. There is also the issue of the sirens in Russia."</p>
<p>Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kitano looked up as he hit stop.</p>
<p>"Enter!" he shouted. The door opened and Yuka poked her head inside.</p>
<p>"Sir, we have the drug ready," she said.</p>
<p>"Excellent," Kitano said. "Gather up the interns and we shall begin."</p>
<p>"Yes sir," Yuka said. She pulled back from the doorway. Kitano waited for the door to close before hitting record again.</p>
<p>"As I was saying," he said. "It looks like that we have the push that we needed. Let's see what happens next. End recording." Kitano hit stop on his tape recorder again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>By noon, Kaori slipped into Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. It was so easy for her. Cameras couldn't pick up her image. She could brush by anyone she wanted. It didn't take her long to get past the front gates. There was only one place that Kaori wanted to go.</p>
<p>She made her way down to the basement. The elevator doors slid open. A sweet little smile spread across her face. Perfect. Kaori walked down the bright narrow hall. She could hear him at the other end of the hall. This was falling right into place.</p>
<p>There he was. Shizuo sat with his bull head still on his head. It was hard to tell if he was asleep or awake. Kaori waved her hand in front of him.</p>
<p>"Hello?" she asked. "You awake Bull-san?" Shizuo didn't respond. Kaori could hear him breathing heavily. She stepped closer to the minotaur. The creature twitched his head. Kaori tilted her head as she perked up.</p>
<p>"Oh! So you are awake," she said. Kaori clapped her hands together. She seemed to dance her way over to Shizuo. The minotaur snorted in surprise.</p>
<p>"Shhh. Shhh," Kaori whispered. She reached and patted the bull head. Shizuo sat in place. Kaori's smile had a hint of devilish intent.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. "You will make a perfect beast of the apocalypse. We have so many plans for you!" Shizuo made a loud guttural noise. Kaori threw back her head and laughed.</p>
<p>"Yes! Yes!" she shouted. Her laughter filled the basement as the minotaur made more confused, loud noises.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mika couldn't get the images out of her head. She had seen traces for days. She began to remember what was coming next. The girl kept everything she knew from Seiji. Things were just now on the mend between them. She couldn't risk losing him again.</p>
<p>There came a knock on her door. Mika opened it up the crack.</p>
<p>"Hello?" she asked. A young man dressed in Victorian style clothing stood outside. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.</p>
<p>"Victor-sensei?" Mika asked.</p>
<p>"Are you alone right now?" the young man asked. She turned and looked back into the apartment.</p>
<p>"He's asleep right now," Mika whispered. She stepped outside of the apartment. Victor-sensei took a breath.</p>
<p>"How much do you remember?" he asked. Mika pressed her lips together.</p>
<p>"It's all coming back in pieces," she said. "Who's coming next?" The doctor hesitated at first.</p>
<p>"The four horsemen," he whispered. "Listen, can you take a walk with me? I promise this won't take too long." Mika took another look into the apartment. This couldn't wait anymore.</p>
<p>"Give me a minute," she said. Mika disappeared into the apartment. She came back with her purse.</p>
<p>"Tell me everything I need to know," she said. "Don't hold anything back."</p>
<p>"Right," Doctor Victor said. The two began their walk from the apartment. Mika sent a quick text to Seiji and followed behind. She paid no attention to the shadows floating in the sky.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The phone rang in Daichi and Osamu's lab.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Daichi asked. The call didn't last long, maybe about five minutes. The man nodded as he listened. Osamu watched him with shears in his hand.</p>
<p>"Understood," Daichi said. "Thank you. Goodbye." The man hung up.</p>
<p>"Who was that?" Osamu asked. Daichi turned at the question.</p>
<p>"That was Watanabe-san," he said. "He's got a little problem."</p>
<p>"With the product?" his partner asked.</p>
<p>"No, that's someone trying to steal away his main girl," Daichi said. Osamu snorted.</p>
<p>"Why is he telling us? That's not our problem," he said. The younger man shrugged.</p>
<p>"Maybe just to vent?" he asked. "I don't know. I just passed him on to Kitano-sensei."</p>
<p>"Why would you do that?" Osamu asked. "That club has never been his interest." Daichi nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said. "But this type of problem would be up his alley. Besides, he could fix it fast enough not to break the flow of the game."</p>
<p>"Speaking of which," Osamu said. "When do you think the horsemen are coming?"</p>
<p>"They will come when they want to," Daichi said. "You know that." His partner frowned and rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>"You didn't have to say it like that, you know?" he said. The younger man didn't respond as he got back to work. Osamu clicked his tongue and went back to work as well.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Michiko, Makoto, and Noriko all sat in Noriko's living room. Michiko stood in front of the other two. She had her arms folded across her chest.</p>
<p>"Do you understand how dire the situation has become?" she asked. Noriko was still trying to get her bearings.</p>
<p>"So you're saying we're the ones that can stop this apocalypse?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," Michiko said.</p>
<p>"It won't work," Makoto said. The girls turned their attention to him. He gave off a dry laugh.</p>
<p>"We can still try," Michiko said.</p>
<p>"And what good would that do?" Makoto asked. "They have the advantage now. The game's going faster than it ever has in the past. We can't win this." The young girl clicked her tongue.</p>
<p>"So you are just going to roll over and give up?!" she asked. Makoto chuckled to himself.</p>
<p>"I envy you sometimes," he said. "How can you keep up this war after all this time? Why even bother? It's all hopeless." Michiko fought back the urge to scream.</p>
<p>"Have they broken you down that badly?" she asked. "You can't let them win! You don't want these people to die, do you?"</p>
<p>"Aren't we all going to die?" Makoto asked.</p>
<p>"I don't want to die," Noriko said in a small voice. Her words shot him worse than any bullet. He couldn't even think of anything to say.</p>
<p>"Uh, well…" he mumbled sheepishly. Michiko raised her eyebrow. Maybe Noriko could help get Makoto off his ass to help her end this game. She just needed to get the other girl to understand the danger they were all in.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It started with a text. Mikado awoke to see Hikira holding his phone up to his face.</p>
<p>"You have a new text," she said.</p>
<p>"Huh?" Mikado asked. He picked up his phone and looked at the screen. The tadpole didn't recognize the number, but he felt compelled to open the message.</p>
<p>"Look out your window."</p>
<p>Mikado leaped out of his futon and crawled over to his window. A figure in dark purple robes and hood stood outside, staring up at him. The tadpole quickly got dressed and ran outside. The figure lowered their hand as he got closer.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" he asked. The figure didn't speak. The tadpole held up his phone.</p>
<p>"Did you send this?" he asked. Still no answer.</p>
<p>"Is something wrong?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," the figure said.</p>
<p>"What is it?" the tadpole boy asked. The figure put her hand on his cheek. A bright light flashed out and surrounded them.</p>
<p>When Mikado opened his eyes, he could see an endless tapestry of stars. He looked around for any sign of the hooded figure. The cold of the empty space ran down his skin. Mikado turned around when he heard heavy breathing. A blackened deer stood inches away from him. Deep red eyes glowed in the darkness. Mikado could see the bones, veins, and decaying organs through the skin. Even the horns looked breakable.</p>
<p>"Hello?" Mikado asked. The deer stared at him with a freezing and burning gaze. The tadpole gulped but didn't feel any fear.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" he asked. The deer slowly walked towards him. Mikado lifted his hand to pet the decaying creature. A low hum filled his ears.</p>
<p>"I'm so glad that I found someone who can hear me," a familiar-sounding voice said. Mikado about fell backward. Anri's voice was coming from this deer.</p>
<p>"Why do you sound like her?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I mimic the voice of the one dearest to you," the deer said. "I mostly cannot talk in your world."</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"I am a god of time and death," the deer said.</p>
<p>"Are you here to take me?"</p>
<p>"No. I need your help." The deer lifted its head. Mikado backed up with shock all over his face. The deer had turned into that hooded figure. Pale tiny hands removed the hood. From what Mikado could tell this was a woman in a deer mask. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders.</p>
<p>"Your world is in just as much danger as mine," she said. "If she comes back, life as we know it will be destroyed. She already wiped out my home. I am forced to roam in the darkness. We can't let her be free again." Her words reached something inside of his head. He's heard this before.</p>
<p>"Have we met before?" the tadpole asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said. Mikado tried to reach back into his memories to please this deer goddess. She reached into her robes and pulled out a small stone.</p>
<p>"Here," she said. "Please take this. I did my best to protect it like you requested of me."</p>
<p>"What is that?" Mikado asked.</p>
<p>"This was the heart of Gabriel," she said. "You gave this to me and told me to keep it safe until you found me again. She tried to shove it into his hand, but Mikado shoved it back. The deer woman looked up at him.</p>
<p>"I don't understand," she said. Mikado shook his head.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry," he said. "But I can't accept this just yet."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I can't explain it yet," the tadpole said. "But I just can't take this just yet. I'm so sorry. But can you hold onto this a little bit longer. I will come and take it when the time is right. I promise." The deer woman bowed her head.</p>
<p>"I understand," she said. "I will do my best to protect the heart. For now, I will try and protect my world from her and this game." Mikado nodded.</p>
<p>"I wish you luck," he said.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she said. "I will return you to your world." The deer goddess put her right hand to his cheek. Another white light flashed out and swallowed everything.</p>
<p>Mikado ended up falling out of the sky and landing in West Gate Park Fountain. He couldn't feel any pain, but the cold water was enough to make him bolt up straight. When the tadpole boy sat up, he noticed that a woman with a group of school children in yellow hats staring at him. The woman with the black hair to her shoulders blinked at him.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Mikado said. "I'm fine. Please don't touch me."</p>
<p>"Uh… okay," the teacher said. The tadpole boy took a breath before stepping out of the fountain. The children stared at him as he walked by. To Mikado, this was going to be a long walk home.</p>
<hr/>
<p>By evening, a man sat in his dressing room looking at himself in the mirror. He had on a fancy white suit with black shades. The bright lights reflected off his made-up face. His dressing room was colder than the North Pole itself. It took hours to get his slicked-back black hair and make-up done up perfectly. He refused to sweat before going out on stage. Image was everything to him. His flock had to believe in him. His words, charm, appearance, and persona all had to be perfect for his career. He worked so hard for everything. He couldn't afford to have a single crack in his holier than thou persona.</p>
<p>A knock came on his door. The man turned his head in time to see it creak open.</p>
<p>"Yes?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You're on in five," a stagehand told him, poking their head through the open door.</p>
<p>"Thank you," the man said. The stagehand bowed and disappeared through the doorway. The man turned back to the mirror and smiled to himself.</p>
<p>"Showtime," he said to his reflection. The man straightened up his tie and rose to his feet. He took one more look at himself in the mirror and walked out of his dressing room.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>